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Australian Reed-Warbler

(Acrocephalus australis)
: "Clamorous Reed-warbler", "Long-billed Reed-Warbler", "Reedbird"; Misnomers: "Water-sparrow", "Reedlark", "Nightingale"

Aboriginal name(s): Race "gouldi": "koordjikotji" (WA)
Size: 16-17 cm
Weight: 12-23 g

Similar species

Description

Classification

Distribution

Sightings

Photos

Breeding

Nest

Eggs

Behaviour

Food

Call/s

Physical description

Click here for physical description of this species Click here for a physical description

Australian Reed-Warblers are relatively large reed birds in Australia. Their front is creamy (eyebrows, throat) to buff-cream (face, chest, belly, vent), while the back is grey-brown, with darker grey-brown flight feathers and tail. The eyes have dark-brown irises. The relatively long, almost straight bill has a grey upper mandible, the lower mandible is horn-coloured. The legs and feet are grey.

Twitcher's tip

Compared with other reed birds, Australian Reed-Warblers have no striation.

Taxonomy, classification

See Australian Reed-Warbler at Wikipedia .
Click here for classification information

Australian Reed-Warblers are no longer considered to be conspecific with the Clamorous Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus).

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Australian Reed-Warbler is available HERE .

The range of the Australian Reed-Warbler extends from West Papua and the Lesser Sunda Islands in eastern Indonesia and Timor Leste, via New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, to Australia.

There are two races of Australian Reed-Warblers. Nominate race "australis" is found mostly in the eastern half of the continent and in the north-western corner of the NT, while race "gouldi" is endemic to near-coastal WA and the north-western corner of the NT around Litchfield NP. Both races are partly migratory, extending their range northwards outside the breeding season. Race "australis" breeds in the south-eastern part of the continent (south-eastern SA, all of VIC and NSW, small parts of southern QLD) and migrates northward to the base of Cape York peninsula and to the Mt. Isa area in northern QLD, but also across the eastern half of SA and the central NT to just South of the Kimberley and the adjacent NT, where they share a breeding area with race "gouldi". Race "gouldi" breeds in the south-western corner of WA and populates a wide (near-)coastal fringe of WA outside their breeding season, as far inland as the catchments of the major rivers such as e.g. the Fitzroy River and Gascoyne River. They occasionally cross the area of Eighty Mile Beach into the southern Kimberley, a breeding area they share with race "australis".

Australian Reed-Warblers can be found in reeds and other dense vegetation around watercourses, lakes and also small/farm dams with dense fringe vegetation.

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Race "australis"

Australian Reed-Warblers, race "australis", were first spotted by us in August 2007, then subsequently in various locations in reeds around dams, rivers and lakes near Narrabri, NSW.

A large population is usually present in the reeds around Narrabri Lake.

In September 2008, an Australian Reed-Warbler, race "australis", found the newly grown reeds on the dam of our property at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri and stayed there for a while.

Australian Reed-Warblers can be found in many different locations along rivers in inland NSW, e.g. along the Namoi River, where we have found them in tall reeds in abundance.
Australian Reed-Warblers, race "australis", were also seen in, and have been reported to us from, coastal areas of southern and central QLD, such as e.g. Byfield NP, in July 2009.

C. Hayne has made the observation in the area of Moree, NSW, in 2012 that where there used to be many Australian Reed-Warblers, race "australis", before, Golden-headed Cisticolas have taken over in recent years.

P. Brown reports finding Australian Reed-Warblers occasionally in wetlands in and around Darwin, NT. It is not known to us which race is being found, "australis" or "gouldi".

Click here for sighting information Race "gouldi"

J. Greaves reports spotting Australian Reed-Warblers, race "gouldi", at Herdsman Lake, Perth, WA, regularly.

P. Brown reports finding Australian Reed-Warblers, race "gouldi", occasionally in wetlands in and around Darwin, NT.

Photos

Race "australis"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Full-frontal view of an Australian Reed-Warbler with its prey
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]

Frontal view of an Australian Reed-Warbler
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, September 2007]

Near-frontal view of an Australian Reed-Warbler; slightly different posture
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, September 2007]

Near-frontal view of an Australian Reed-Warbler issuing its call (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, October 2014]

Near-lateral view of an Australian Reed-Warbler (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Road Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, August 2017]

Near-lateral/ventral view of an Australian Reed-Warbler, possibly in fresh plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Road Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, March 2019]

Lateral view of an Australian Reed-Warbler (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, October 2014]

Near-lateral view of an Australian Reed-Warbler issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, October 2017)]

Lateral view of an Australian Reed-Warbler hunting in reeds
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, December 2010]

Near-dorsal view of an Australian Reed-Warbler (phot courtesy of V. Collins)
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, October 2020]

Near-dorsal view of an Australian Reed-Warbler (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Road Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, August 2017)]

Near-dorsal view of an Australian Reed-Warbler issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Road Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, August 2017)]

Dorsal view of an Australian Reed-Warbler
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, December 2010]

Dorsal view of an Australian Reed-Warbler (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Road Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, August 2017)]

Australian Reed-Warbler launching itself into the air (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, October 2014]

Lateral view of an Australian Reed-Warbler in flight (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, October 2014]

Australian Reed-Warbler using algal growth to support its weight
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, September 2010]

Soaking wet Australian Reed-Warbler straight out of the bath tub
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, October 2015]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Fledgling Australian Reed-Warbler waiting to be fed; this is one of the juveniles whose calls were recorded on 18 December 2016
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]

Here an Australian Reed-Warbler that looks a bit ruffled, possibly a young bird
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, January 2011]

Slightly unsharp near-frontal view of a juvenile Australian Reed-Warbler waiting to be fed
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a juvenile Australian Reed-Warbler
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, November 2012]

Two juvenile Australian Reed-Warblers waiting to be fed
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, November 2012]

Two juvenile Australian Reed-Warblers being fed
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, November 2012]

Juvenile Australian Reed-Warbler hiding in lignum, waiting to be fed
[Near Burren Junction, NSW, November 2013]

Race "gouldi"

ADULT

MALE

Lateral view of an Australian Reed-Warbler; the dark head and the long bill suggest that it is race "gouldi" - this it the bird whose territorial calls were recorded on 30 December 2019 - it is therefore likely a male (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Palmerston Golf Club, Palmerston, NT, December 2019]

Sex unknown

Near-lateral view of an Australian Reed-Warbler (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Palmerston Golf Course, Palmerston, NT, January 2020]

Lateral view of an Australian Reed-Warbler (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Herdsman Lake, Perth, WA, January 2015]

Lateral view of an Australian Reed-Warbler; note the greyish appearance of this bird in dark conditions
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Herdsman Lake, Perth, WA, January 2015]

Near-dorsal view of an Australian Reed-Warbler (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Herdsman Lake, Perth, WA, January 2015]

Near-dorsal view of an Australian Reed-Warbler (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Palmerston Golf Course, Palmerston, NT, January 2020]

MALE

Breeding information

Breeding season: Sep - Dec Eggs: 3 - 4 Incubation period: 14 - 15 days Fledging age: 14 - 16 days

The breeding season can be extended inland depending on rainfall.

Nest
"bungobittah", "malunna" = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Suspended basket Material: Reeds Height above ground: 0.5 - 1 m

Nest that is becoming visible at the end of the breeding season, when reeds thin out
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, April 2011]

Eggs
"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 20 x 14 mm Colour: White, with dark-brown speckles Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial Mobility: Sedentary Elementary unit: Pair

Australian Reed Warblers usually stay in the cover of reeds such as cumbungi and are only rarely seen on higher perches.

Australian Reed-Warbler up in the crown of a riverside eucalypt (click on image for a wider overview)
[Pilliga, NSW, December 2018]

Food, Diet

Adults: Insects, spiders Dependents: Like adults Water intake: ?

Like all warblers of the Acrocephalus family known to us, Australian Reed-Warblers feed on insects that they catch in flight or pick from reeds.

Australian Reed-Warbler picking aphids off the underside of leaves (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Road Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, August 2017)]

Australian Reed-Warbler with its prey, an insect
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]

This Australian Reed-Warbler has caught not an insect, but what looks like a spider
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, October 2012]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

clmrwrb_20170816.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	Territorial calls	© MD
clmrwrb_art_20131215.m4a	australis (SE QLD)	Territorial calls	© ART
clmrwrb_art_20131214.m4a	australis (SE QLD)	Various	© ART
clmrwrb_20151222.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	Adult with begging juveniles	© MD

clmrwrb_pb_20191230.m4a	gouldi (Top End, NT)	Territorial calls (male)	© PB

More Australian Reed-Warbler sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

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