Common Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus scirpaceus (Hermann, 1804)

13 cmLength19 cmWingspan12 gWeight

The adult has a brown back without streaks, a flat forehead and a pointed, strong bill.

Busiest months: May · Most records: United Kingdom, Spain, Israel

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Adult has a brown back without streaks
Adult has pale yellowish-brown underparts
Flat forehead and strong, pointed bill

Male, female and young

Sexes identical in appearance; juvenile has richer yellowish-brown underparts.

Voice

Song is a slow, chattering “jit-jit-jit”, interspersed with whistles and mimicry.

Where and when it's recorded

Common Reed Warbler has been recorded at 1,448 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 106 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

International Birding and Research Center Eilat (IBRCE)Israel4,129 records
Minsmere RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom2,655 records
Jerusalem Bird ObservatoryIsrael2,616 records

More places

Titchwell Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom2,380 records
Desembocadura del Guadalhorce – ÁreaSpain2,204 records
Amwell HMWT NRUnited Kingdom1,965 records
Beddington FarmlandsUnited Kingdom1,566 records
Rainham Marshes RSPB Reserve, SSSI and LNRUnited Kingdom1,460 records
Cley & Salthouse Marshes NWT NR – Cley Marshes including Hides and Visitor CentreUnited Kingdom1,442 records
Gazelle ValleyIsrael1,435 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United Kingdom Spain Israel Portugal Germany Czechia Switzerland Türkiye

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The common reed warbler or Eurasian reed-warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds across Europe into the temperate western Palaearctic where it is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also a resident species over large parts of Africa.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Common Reed Warbler?

The Common Reed Warbler is about 13 cm long, with a wingspan of 19 cm and weighs around 12 g.

Where does the Common Reed Warbler live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, Africa: Europe to Central Asia, Arabian Peninsula, northern Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. It is most often recorded in United Kingdom, Spain and Israel.

When is the best time to see the Common Reed Warbler?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Common Reed Warbler endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Common Reed Warbler as Least Concern.

What does the Common Reed Warbler eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Common Reed Warbler in?

It belongs to the family Reed Warblers & Allies (Acrocephalidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: 13 cm
Wingspan: 19 cm
Weight: 12 g
Habitat: Wetland
Diet: Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle: Perches in trees
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 67 mm
Tail: 52 mm
Bill: 17 mm
Tarsus: 22 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic, Africa: Europe to Central Asia, Arabian Peninsula, northern Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1

Acrocephalus scirpaceus fuscus n Egypt and c Turkey through the Middle East to se European Russia, n Iran, Kazakhstan and nw China | non-breeding: to e, s Africa