Reed warblers · Perching birds
Marsh Warbler
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Acrocephalus palustris
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Voice
Song
Robert Petersen
Song
Robert Petersen
Song
Sonothèque ADVL
How to recognize it
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About 13 cm; plain brown-grey above, yellowish-white below
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Whitish throat, pointed bill
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In dense reedbeds, scrub or wet vegetation; moves nimbly through cover
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Very loud song, strongly imitative of other species
About the species
The Marsh Warbler is an unobtrusive voice from dense, wet cover. It moves neatly through thick vegetation and is often easier to hear than to see, thanks to a loud song that carries well.
The male’s singing is especially memorable because it can weave in imitations of other species. In the breeding season it stays active but hidden, with the nest tucked away in thick greenery.
It favors reedbeds, scrub, and fields near water. Its food is mainly insects, along with spiders, snails, and larvae, and in autumn it may also take elderberries; in much of central and eastern Europe it is present from May to September.
Where to find
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Along canal banks, pond edges and weedy brownfield lots — the male gives itself away with a loud, scratchy song from dense cover.
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In waist-high nettles and young willow thickets near water — watch for quick hops as it picks insects off the stems.
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At the edges of fields beside ditches or wet meadows — it stays low and slips back into the greenery fast.
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In thick riverside scrub on quiet stretches — more often heard than seen, especially in the morning and early summer.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Acrocephalus palustris Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Marsh warbler Encyclopedia article