Page 330 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WARBLERS AND ALLIES
Order Passeriformes Family Sylviidae Species Locustella naevia
Grasshopper Warbler

finely streaked crown
blunt wings and cheeks

rounded scarcely marked,
tail whitish or buff
underside
IN FLIGHT
spotted or streaked,
pale olive-brown
back and rump
FLIGHT: low, brief, flitting flights; raises slightly
fanned tail as it dives out of sight. long, broad
rounded tail
arblers are split into several different families: this is the most
Wcommon of the Locustella warblers, which are small, streaked,
round-tailed, and highly skulking birds, usually hard to see.They
have long, trilled, chirping, or rattling songs often likened to
the sound of some insects such as crickets; these are
usually heard most often at dusk or on warm, still, sultry
summer days.These warblers are not to be expected in
tall bushes or trees, or openly flitting
about in hedgerows. HIGH-PITCHED SONG
Many people are unable to hear
VOICE Loud call, piercing psit; song such high-pitched sounds as the
remarkable, prolonged, unvarying Grasshopper Warbler’s song.
mechanical “reel”, fast, hard ticking at
close range on one high, sharp note,
waxes and wanes as head is turned:
sirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
NESTING Small nest of grass and leaves
in dense, low vegetation; 5 or 6 eggs;
2 broods; May–July.
FEEDING Forages in very low, thick
vegetation, creeping mouse-like on or
near ground, finding mostly small
insects and spiders.
OCCURRENCE
SIMILAR SPECIES Widespread from Ireland, east
to Finland and Russia, south to
SEDGE WARBLER plain back DUNNOCK C France, N Spain, and Alps in
see p.322 and tail see p.292
summer. In marshy areas with
more bigger and grass, low thickets, heathy places,
obvious stouter and grassy meadows with thorny
stripe over greyer
eye bushes where grass grows up
through thickets.
REED WARBLER Seen in the UK
see p.324 J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 12.5cm (5in) Wingspan 15–19cm (6–7 1 ⁄2in) Weight 11–15g ( 3 ⁄8 – 9 ⁄16oz)
Social Solitary Lifespan Up to 5 years Status Secure
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