Eurasian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) [XC834505]
by Stanislas Wroza from Arrondissement de Quimper (near \u00cele-de-Sein), Finist\u00e8re, Bretagne, France (call)
Eurasian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) [XC657287]
by K\u00e9vin Giraudin from Beravci, Op\u0107ina Velika Kopanica, Brodsko-posavska \u017eupanija, Netherlands (call)
Nest
A deep cup of grass and flower heads, woven around several reed stems.
Eggs (Guide)
4; pale green, blotched and speckled olive, usually at the larger end.
Subspecies
Common Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) and African Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus baeticatus) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) have been lumped into Acrocephalus scirpaceus following Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993).
Belongs to a probably monophyletic group of small plain-coloured species that also includes African Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus baeticatus), Blyth's Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum) and Marsh Warbler (Acrocephalus palustris), along with the closely related Paddyfield Warbler (Acrocephalus agricola) superspecies (comprising also White-browed Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus tangorum) and Blunt-winged Warbler (Acrocephalus concinens)). Has been considered conspecific with African Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus baeticatus), but generally regarded as distinct because of different migratory behaviour and associated wing structure. Genetic studies suggest that subspecies avicenniae of African Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus baeticatus) should perhaps be placed within present species. Subspecies fuscus possibly a separate species. Two cases of hybrids with Great Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) recently reported from Germany and Belgium. Has hybridized with Marsh Warbler (Acrocephalus palustris) in England.
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
scirpaceus (Hermann, 1804) - Breeds Europe east to western Russia, Ukraine, Crimea, lower R Kuban and western Asia Minor, also north-western Africa. Non-breeding sub-Saharan Africa.
fuscus (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833) - Breeds eastern Asia Minor, Cyprus and Levant, and from northern Caspian area east to south-eastern Kazakhstan and extreme north-western China (western Xinjiang), south to north-west, central and eastern Iran and north-western Afghanistan. Non-breedin. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Caspian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus fuscus).
avicenniae Ash, Pearson, DJ, Nikolaus & Colston, 1989 - Mangroves of coastal Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia and western Arabia. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Mangrove Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus avicenniae).
ammon Hering, Winkler & Steinheimer, 2016 - Libyan Desert depressions on the Libya/Egypt border (oases of Qattara, Siwa, Sitra, and Al Jaghbub).
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RSPB Handbook of British Birds Holden, P., Cleeves, T., 2002, A & C Black ISBN 0 7136 5713 8
Birds of Britain and Europe Sterry, P., et al., 2001, AA Publishing ISBN 0 7495 3068 5
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet