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26

Marsh Warbler (Acrocephalus palustris) German name(s): "Sumpfrohrsänger" Size: 11.5-13 cm; wingspan: 18-21 cm Weight: 8-20 g

Europe: Family Group 26 Family Group 26 Table Crested Lark Great Reed Warbler Sedge Warbler Marsh Warbler Great Reed Warbler Fieldfare Mistle Thrush Common Blackbird Common Starling Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description 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. Twitcher's tip 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).

Taxonomy, classification See Marsh Warbler at Wikipedia .

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 the ebird.org website. The global distribution of the Marsh Warbler is available HERE . 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.

Sightings 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. A Marsh Warbler was also spotted by us in Oman.

Photos

ADULT

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]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Immature Marsh Warbler found trapped in an abandoned house (photo courtesy of J. Mierzwinski)
[Andrzejewo, Masovia, Poland, June 2015]

Food, Diet

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]

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.

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