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Marsh Warbler
(Acrocephalus palustris)
German name(s): "Sumpfrohrsänger"
Size: 11.5-13 cm;
wingspan: 18-21 cm
Weight: 8-20 g
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Marsh Warblers are very small warblers.
Their front is creamy (eyebrows, throat) to buff-cream (face,
chest, belly, vent), while the entire back is olive-grey, with
darker grey flight feathers with olive-grey edge lining 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-yellow-pinkish.
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Twitcher's tip |
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Compared to Clamorous Reed Warblers,
Marsh Warblers have a rump that is the same colour as the rest
of the body plumage
(whereas that of the Clamorous Reed Warbler is red-brown).
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Marsh
Warbler at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of the Marsh Warbler is available
HERE
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Marsh Warblers are a migratory Eurasian species.
Their breeding grounds reach from the Benelux countries and
southern England in the West, the southern coastal fringe
of Scandinavia in the North and the Alps in the South via
central Europe into mid-latitude western Asia (as far South
as the river plains of Iraq).
They winter mainly in south-eastern Africa.
During their migration they can be found in the eastern
Mediterranean, Asia Minor, the Middle East including
Arabia and in the Nile valley.
In Europe they are found either during their breeding season,
basically eastward of a line from the Bretagne to the western
edge of the Alps. In the eastern Mediterranean they can also
be seen during their migration.
As their name already suggests, Marsh Warblers have a
preference for marshlands with tall growth and other
wetland habitats during their breeding season.
In their wintering grounds they tend to stay in
well-vegatated country, but not necessarily wetlands.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
J. Mierzwinski reports spotting a Marsh Marbler in Andrzejewo,
Masovia, Poland, in June 2015.
D. Wilczynska reports spotting Marsh Warblers near Brok, on
the river Bug, Masovia, Poland, in May 2016. Another one was
found there in May 2020.
A Marsh Warbler was also spotted by us in Oman.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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Frontal view of a Marsh Warbler (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
Frontal view of a Marsh Warbler (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
Near-frontal view of a Marsh Warbler (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
Lateral view of a Marsh Warbler; note the characteristic
long primary wing projection and the dark flight feathers
with white tips (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
Lateral view of a Marsh Warbler; note the characteristic
long primary wing projection and the dark flight feathers
with white tips (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
Lateral view of a Marsh Warbler (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
Near-dorsal view of a Marsh Warbler; note the characteristic
olive-grey rump (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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Juvenile Marsh Warbler found trapped in an abandoned house
(photo courtesy of J. Mierzwinski)
[Andrzejewo, Masovia, Poland, June 2015]
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Food, Diet |
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Like all warblers of the Acrocephalus family known to us, Marsh
Warblers feed on insects that they catch in flight or pick from
reeds.
This Marsh Warbler has caught a caterpillar (photo courtesy of
D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
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Call(s)/Song |
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For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own; are welcome.
More Marsh Warbler sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
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These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.