European reed warbler

    Acrocephalus scirpaceus

Castilian: Carricero común

Catalan: Boscarla de canyar

Gallego: Folosa das canaveiras

Euskera: Lezkari arrunta

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Sylviidae

Migratory status: Summer resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

Given its wide distribution and the size of its populations, it is not threatened. However, it is affected by reed burning, river canalisation, and dredging of riverbeds, which destroys the wetland areas that this species depends on.

Length / size: 13 cm / 17-21 cm

Identification: Small bird whose bill is relatively long. Its back is brown, its underparts ochre-coloured, and its rump reddish-brown.

Song: They are nervous notes, repeated 2-3 times, alternated with high-pitched throat-clearing sounds that produce a long and rhythmic song.

Diet: It primarily feeds on insects, spiders and small snails and, from time to time, plant matter, such as fruits and seeds.

Reproduction: Territorial and monogamous species (with some exceptions), which begins its breeding period at the end of May. The nest is a small bowl made of interwoven leaves (reed) sewn with hair or spider web threads, which the female prepares in the river vegetation at low heights. Both parents incubate the eggs and care for the chicks.

HABITAT

It is dependent on river vegetation close to the water, where there are cat's-tails, bulrushes, and especially reeds. It occupies marshes, river edges, streams and canals. It is found in low areas, although it can reach an altitude of up to 1,000 metres.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is distributed throughout the entire peninsula and the Balearic Islands, with the largest populations found in the Duero, Guadalquivir, Ebro and Levante valleys.

In Castile and León: It is distributed throughout all of the provinces, but is rarer in Ávila and Segovia.

Movements and migrations: It is a migratory species that winters in tropical Africa, in the southern Sahara. Specimens from western and central Europe pass through our country. The prenuptial passage takes place between March and May, and the postnuptial between August and mid-November.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of more than 20000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of more than 9000 breeding pairs.