BTO BirdFacts | Reed Warbler

Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus [Hermann, 1804]

Other Names	Trends & Distribution	Breeding & Survival	Biometrics	Books & Links

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	Order: Passeriformes	Family: Sylviidae
	BTO Codes: RW, REEWA	EURING No: 12510
	Number in Britain: 91 thousand pairs (Summer)
	Conservation Status:
	UK: GREEN
	European: Not a species of concern
	Global: Least Concern ( Details )
Links to: Images Videos Sound

Status in UK: (A) Migrant Breeder, Passage Visitor
Subspecies: scirpaceus recorded in Britain (of 3 subsp. in the world)
.
Length: 13 cm	Wingspan: 19 cm	Weight: M/F: 13 g

Scientific name from:	Gr.: akros=pointed + kephale=head and L.: scirpus=a reed + =aceus=resembling
World Distribution:	BREEDS: Europe, Near East & c Asia, WINTERS: tropical Africa

Habitat:	Reedbed, scrub
Diet:	Insects and spiders also small snails, often at middle heights in reeds, rushes
TitBit:	In many birds, eye colour changes with age - in Reed Warblers birds have a charcoal iris in their first year but an olive-brown one as adults; young birds also have spots on their tongues (as many other species do), presumably to help guide feeding parent.

Population and Distribution

	Population Trend:	Wider Countryside Report
	Regional Trends:	England English Regions
	Distribution:	Atlas Maps (Local Atlases)

British Population Size:

Summer: 61 to 122 thousand pairs in 2000 Baker, H. et al. (2006) British Birds 99:25-44

First Record: 1676 Willughby, F. 1676. Ornithologiae libri tres

Conservation Status: GREEN Eaton, M.A. et al. 2009. British Birds 102:296-341

Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 GREEN Gregory, R.D. et al. 2002. British Birds 95:410-448

1996-2001 GREEN Gibbons, D.W. et al. 1996. RSPB Conservation Review 10:7-18

Races of Concern: scirpaceus GREEN

Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):

Most frequent in: Reedbed

Also common in: Estuaries

And found in: Along Rivers, Lakes

Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:

European Population Size:

Summer: 2.6 to 4.5 million pairs (Trend in Numbers) Bufield, I. & Van Bommel, F. (2004) Birds in Europe. Birdlife International, Cambridge.

Population Assesment from Birds in Europe

Distribution in Europe

Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: Bern(III), Bonn(II)

Survey Results:	BirdTrack

Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 18 x 14 mm

Egg Weight: 1.8 g (of which 5 % is shell)

Number of Nest Records: 609

Clutch Size: 4 eggs

3.88 ± 0.69 (2 - 6) N = 3455 British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data

Incubation: 12- 12 days

11.73 ± 0.91 (10 - 13.5) N = 3453

by the: Male + Female

Fledging: 12 - 13days

11.68 ± 0.76 (10 - 12.5) N = 3814

as: Altricial, naked Altricial birds remain in the nest, precocial birds leave the nest soon after hatching

Source:

British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data

First Clutches Laid: 10 Jun (15 May - 21 Jul) Joys & Crick 2004 Breeding periods for bird species in England BTO, Thetford

Number of Broods: 1-2

Trends in Breeding Productivity

Number Ringed: 24801 (Annual Totals)
Adult Survival: 0.560
Juvenile Survival: No data

Age at First Breeding: 1 year	Typical Lifespan: 3 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 12 years 11 months 21 days (set in 2001)
Summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics

Ring Size: A

Wing Length

Adult:

65.6 ± 1.8

Range

63 - 69 mm, N =33113

Juvenile:

64.7 ± 1.8

62 - 67 mm, N =33342

Male:

66.4 ± 1.7

64 - 69 mm, N =10905

Female:

64.7 ± 1.6

62 - 67 mm, N =9169

Weight

Adult:

11.52 ± 1.00

Range

10.20 - 13.40 g , N =27827

Juvenile:

11.37 ± 1.55

9.90 - 13.70 g , N =28300

Male:

11.33 ± 0.70

10.30 - 12.50 g , N =8909

Female:

11.76 ± 1.20

10.10 - 14.00 g , N =7595

Source:

British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names
Eurasian Reed Warbler


Gaelic: Ceileiriche-cuilc	Welsh: Telor y Cyrs
Danish: Rørsanger	Dutch: Kleine karekiet
Finnish: Rytikerttunen	French: Rousserolle effarvatte
German: Teichrohrsänger	Hungarian: Cserrego nádiposzáta
Icelandic: Sefsöngvari	Irish: Ceolaire Giolcaí
Italian: Cannaiola	Norwegian: Rørsanger
Polish: Trzcinniczek zwyczajny	Portuguese: Rouxinol-pequeno-dos-caniços
Spanish: Carricero común	Swedish: Rörsångare

For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Calvert, M. 2005 Reed Warblers at Rostherne Mere English Nature, Peterborough [598.915 CAL]
Brown, P.E & Davies, M.G. 1949 Reed Warblers Foy Publications, East Molesey, Surrey [598.915 BRO]

See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead

Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus [Hermann, 1804]

Population and Distribution

Breeding and Survival

Biometrics

Other Names

For More Information...

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