Sedge Warbler

The Sedge Warbler, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, is a medium-sized member of the warbler clan. It sports a brown, streaked back and wings, with a pale underbelly and a distinctive pale supercilium—a line above the eye. The rump is a warm brown and unstreaked, offering a contrast to the duller wings. Both sexes share the same plumage, though subtle differences can be discerned upon close examination.

Identification Tips

This warbler can be identified by its strong, pointed bill and the prominent whitish supercilium. The legs are a greyish hue. Juveniles may display dark spots on the breast and can be mistaken for aquatic warblers due to a pale central crown stripe. The song is a giveaway, with its varied, rushed chattering and mimicry.

Habitat

The Sedge Warbler is a bird of the reedbeds, often found in wetlands with scrub, ditches, and even in habitats away from water such as hedgerows and arable crops.

Distribution

A migratory species, the Sedge Warbler breeds across Europe and western and central Asia. It winters in sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Ethiopia and south to the Cape Province of South Africa and northern Namibia.

Behaviour

The Sedge Warbler is known for its song, which males use to attract mates. They are socially monogamous, though not strictly, with males often practicing promiscuity. They are territorial, with males defending small patches of reedbeds.

Song & Calls

The male's song is a composition of random chattering phrases, including mimicry of other species. Contact calls are a chirr or kerr, which can be rapidly repeated to form a rattling alarm call.

Breeding

The Sedge Warbler's nest is a cup-shaped structure built by the female, often in vegetation close to the ground. They lay 3 to 5 greenish-yellow and brown-mottled eggs, which are incubated by the female for about 14 days.

Similar Species

Similar species include moustached warblers and Pallas's grasshopper warblers, though the Sedge Warbler's distinct song and habitat preferences can help differentiate it.

Diet and Feeding

The diet is mostly insectivorous, including mayflies, dragonflies, and beetles. They also consume berries like elderberries and blackberries. Feeding techniques vary from picking insects off vegetation to catching them mid-flight.

Conservation Status

The Sedge Warbler is currently listed as 'Least Concern' by the IUCN, with a large global population and a wide distribution. However, habitat loss and climate change pose potential threats to its numbers.