Monday, 27 May 2024

Marsh Warbler (Acrocephalus palustris)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Acrocephalus ("topmost head") palustris ("loving marshes") 

Adult Marsh Warbler (Acrocephalus palustris) at Branston Gravel Pits, Staffordshire - May 2024

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 11-15g  /  Length: 13-15cm  /  Wingspan: 18-21cm
UK RED LIST IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Like the Savi's Warbler, the Marsh Warbler is a small, brown, reedbed species for which the UK is the very last fringe of it's range, with only a tiny precarious handful of pairs still breeding in the country. Superficially similar to reed warblers, they differ subtly in plumage, but more conspicuusly in song where they incorporate a spectacular range of mimicry, with an average of 75 species by each individual! This also frequently includes the songs of African species from their Summer range, bringing songs to a European soundscape seen a continent away!

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Acrocephalidae
Genus: Acrocephalus
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A passage migrant and fringe breeding species (1-3 pairs)
 - Vagrant seen at Branston Gravel Pits in May 2024 .

Further Notes: BirdForum OpusIUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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