- Acrocephalus luscinius
Identification
17cm. Yellowish below and darker brown/yellow above with a large and very long bill.
Distribution
Taxonomy
Three subspecies of Nightingale Reed-Warbler are currently recognized in the Mariana Islands: Acrocephalus luscinia luscinia (Guam, Saipan, Alamagan), Acrocephalus luscinia nijoi (Aguiguan) and Acrocephalus luscinia yamashinae (Pagan). The validity of these subspecies warrants further study, however.
Of the three recognized subspecies, Acrocephalus luscinia luscinia, originally found on Guam, Saipan, and Alamagan, has been extirpated on Guam since the late 1960s. Acrocephalus luscinia nijoi of the presently uninhabited island of Aguiguan was first reported in 1940 by a Japanese collector, and surveys conducted by the Commonwealth in 1983 and 1985 yielded a maximum count of six individuals. Acrocephalus luscinia yamashinae of uninhabited Pagan has been little studied, and is believed to have survived in small numbers until at least the 1960s. The population is now thought to be extirpated. The total number of nightingale reed-warblers is approximately 6,225-6,230 individuals distributed over three islands: Aguiguan (1-6), Saipan (4,225), and Alamagan (2,000).
Habitat
Forest edges, reed marshes, and wetlands.
Behaviour
They often sing at night.
Diet includes insects, spiders, snails, and lizards.
