Great Reed Warbler
by
Shop
Acrocephalus arundinaceus
Very rare migrants & vagrants from Europe with 300 records for Britain & 10 for Ireland from May-June.
Breeds in tall dense extensive reedbeds in Spain, Mallorca & France.
Winters in tropical & South Africa.
Adults have unstreaked brown upperparts and dull buffish-white chin and underparts.
The forehead is flattened, and the bill is strong and pointed. It looks very much like a giant Common Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), but with a stronger supercilium.
The sexes are identical, as with most old world warblers, but Juveniles are richer buff below.
The song is a chattering and croaking carr-carr-cree-cree-cree-jet-jet, to which the whistles and vocal mimicry typical of Marsh Waarblers are added.