Bearded reedling · Perching birds
Bearded Reedling
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Panurus biarmicus
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How to recognize it
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14–15.5 cm; small, slim, with a very long tail
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Male: pale bluish-grey head, black "moustaches", white throat
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Female buff-brown, without black moustaches; young show a black patch on the back
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Call in reeds: "ping", "tschin-schik-schra"
About the species
The bearded reedling stays in reed beds and is easy to remember for its warm, pale plumage and long tail. Males stand out more sharply, while females look softer and more subdued.
It is active, social, and a bit hard to catch sight of in dense cover. Its metallic "ping" call often gives it away, along with its quick hops, short flights, and habit of staying in pairs; young ones form lasting pair bonds early.
It stays close to wet places such as reed beds by lakes, swamps, and rivers, and usually keeps to thick vegetation. In summer it feeds on insects and spiders, then switches to seeds in winter; numbers can swing sharply after hard winters, and empty places are often recolonised later.
Where to find
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Along tall reed beds at pond or canal edges — small flocks give themselves away with a thin metallic “ping” from deep in the stems.
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At the muddy fringe of marshy coves and old river oxbows — look for quick hops along reed stalks and short low flights over water.
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In winter reed stands with open water nearby — Bearded Reedling feeds right at the water’s edge, often on reed seeds.
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In wet riverside thickets after a breeze — the clue is brief flights out of the reeds and a sharp, tinkling call in the air.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Panurus biarmicus Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Bearded reedling Encyclopedia article