Acrocephalus schoenobaenus is a widespread summer visitor to much of Europe, which constitutes >50% of its global breeding range. Its European breeding population is very large (>4,400,000 pairs), and was stable between 1970-1990. Although there were declines in certain countries-most notably Finland-during 1990-2000, key populations to the east in Russia, Romania and Belarus were stable, and the species remained stable overall.

In contrast to other Acrocephalus, extends from high arctic down to mid-latitudes, from boreal through temperate but only marginally to Mediterranean zone, ranging east not far beyond west Palearctic. Accordingly adapted to cool, often cloudy and moist climates. Breeds in wide variety of low dense vegetation or in moist depressions. Attracted to clay and gravel pits. Less closely linked to lake sides, river banks, and wetlands than most congeners, and usually avoids wetter reedbeds in standing water.

Breeds mid April to mid July in Britain and North-West Europe, June in Finland. Nest site is built in variety of tall vegetation or low bushes. On ground or up to 50 cm above. Nest, deep cup, rounded to cylindrical, with loosely woven outer structure of grass, plant stems and leaves, moss, and sedges, often with spiders' webs, with thick inner layer of finer leaves and stems, lined with reed flowers, hair, and plant down. 5-6 eggs are laid, incubation 13-15 days, by female only, or with limited help from male.

Chiefly insects, also some plant material outside breeding season. Feeds predominantly low down in dense vegetation, notably reeds and rushes, also in cereal fields and periphery of bushes.

This species has a large range, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10,000,000 km2. It has a large global population, including an estimated 8,800,000-15,000,000 individuals in Europe (BirdLife International in prep.). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e., declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Common and widespread summer migrant of Eurasia, from British Isles east across Scandinavia, northern Russia and western Siberia to western China, south through France and much of northern Mediterranean coastline to central Turkey, Caucasus, northern Iran, and southern Russia to Northwest China. Winters in subtropical to tropical zones, from Senegal east to Ethiopia and south through much of Africa to Cape Province. (Baker K 1997) Summer visitor throughout much of Europe (except south) including UK and Eire, European USSR, Transcaucasus, locally Turkey; winters tropical Africa. Recorded in winter Jordan. Migrant Portugal, Spain, Balearic Is., Malta, Cyprus, Near East, north Africa. Vagrant Iceland, Faroe Is., Svalbard, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Madeira. (Parmenter T Byers C 1991)

article number 1 Title
Fat and pectoral muscle in migrating Sedge Warblers Acrocephalus schoenob nus
Author(s): Chris P.F. Redfern, Vicky J. Topp and Phil Jones
Abstract: Increases in fat and pectoral muscle mass are important physiological changes associated with migration, but the extent to which these are linked is uncertain. The relationship between fat and pectora..[more]..
Source: Ringing & Migration (2004) 22, 24-34
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article number 10 Title
Survival rates of adult Reed Warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus at a northern and southern site in England
Author(s): Chris B. Thaxter, Chris P.F. Redfern and Richard M. Bevan
Abstract: Mark-recapture ringing data from Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire and Gosforth Park in Newcastle upon Tyne were used to estimate adult survival rates in a southerly and a northerly population of Reed Warb..[more]..
Source: Ringing & Migration (2006) 23, 65-79
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article number 2 Title
How does age and body condition affect migratory restlessness and orientation in Reed Warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus?
Author(s): Korner-Nievergelt, F., Liechti, F. & Bruderer, B
Abstract: Orientation cage experiments were performed with 260 Reed Warblers on the southern coast of Spain during autumn 1996, in order to test the hypothesis that birds in good body condition should exhibit a..[more]..
Source: Ardeola 49(1), 2002, 29-37
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article number 3 Title
Does tape-luring of migrating eurasian reed-warblers increase number of recruits or capture probability?
Author(s): Mich l Schaub, Regine Schwilch and Lukas Jenni
Abstract: Tape-luring often is used in studies of bird migration, and the technique can strongly augment the total number of birds captured. Additional captures from tape-luring could result from increasing the..[more]..
Source: Auk: Vol. 116, No. 4
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article number 4 Title
The study of bird migration across the Western Sahara; a contribution with sound luring
Author(s): Marc Herremans
Abstract: During spring and autumn migration 2003, the Swiss Ornithological Institute set up a concerted project in Mauritania to study bird migration across the Sahara. I participated with a side project using..[more]..
Source: Report of field research in Mauritania
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article number 5 Title
Stabilising selection on wing length in reed warblers Acrocephalus
Author(s): Hall, K. S. S., Ryttman, H., Fransson, T. and Stolt,
Abstract: The size of an animal is of utmost importance for its overall success and each species is thought to have its own optimal size. If this is true, size traits ought to be under stabilising selection u..[more]..
Source: J. Avian Biol. 35: 7-12.
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article number 6 Title
High Migratory Fuel Loads Impair Predator Evasion in Sedge Warblers
Author(s): Cecilia Kullberg, Sven Jakobsson, and Thord Fransson
Abstract: During migration, many species of birds rely on stored fat for fuel. The extra mass taken on for migration entails costs (Witter and Cuthill 1993). Time and energy must be devoted to foraging to bu..[more]..
Source: The Auk 117(4):1034-1038, 2000
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article number 7 Title
Song and the song control pathway in the brain can develop independently of exposure to song in the sedge warbler
Author(s): Stefan Leitner, Joanne Nicholson, Bernd Leisler, Timothy J. DeVoogd and Clive K. Catchpole
Abstract: Previous studies have shown that female sedge warblers choose to mate with males that have more complex songs, and sexual selection has driven the evolution of both song complexity and the size of th..[more]..
Source: Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B (2002) 269, 2519-524
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article number 8 Title
Dutch Sedge Warblers Acrocephalus schoenobaenus and West-African rainfall: Empirical data and simulation modelling show low population resilience in fragmented marshlands.
Author(s): Foppen R., Ter Braak C.J., Verboom J. & Reijnen R.
Abstract: Sedge Warbler populations in The Netherlands have declined dramatically over the last 25 years, especially between 1973-75 and 1982-85. Population declines correlate with yearly rainfall in the wester..[more]..
Source: ARDEA 87 (1): 113-127
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article number 9 Title
Movement patterns of European Reed Warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus and Sedge Warblers A. schoenobaenus before and during autumn migration.
Author(s): Chernetsov N. & Titov N.
Abstract: The foraging movements of European Reed Warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus and Sedge Warblers Acrocephalus schoenobaenus at migratory stopover sites were studied by comparing the frequency distribution ..[more]..
Source: ARDEA 89 (3): 509-515
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