Great reed warbler

    Acrocephalus arundinaceus

Castilian: Carricero tordal

Catalan: Balquer

Gallego: Folosa grande

Euskera: Lezkari karratxina

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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listen song

THREATS

It is not threatened, but it can be affected by the pollution, dredging, burning or drying up of reed beds, which entails the alteration of its breeding habitat.

Length / size: 19-20 cm / 24-29 cm

Identification: Robust bird, larger and with a longer bill than the reed warbler, although it has a similar brown colour. Its back is reddish-brown and its underparts are yellowish-brown.

Song: Its song also has a structure similar to that of the common warbler, but it is more strident and hoarse, audbile from far away. It repeats a series of clicks with abrupt changes in pitch: "karra-karra-karra-kree-kree-kree".

Diet: It diet is primarily composed of invertebrates such as beetles, hymenopterans, flies, and true bugs. Outside of mating season it also feeds on fruits, seeds, etc.

Reproduction: It begins at the end of may, and the species is usually monogamous and territorial. The female builds the nest, a small basket of interwoven leaves that it attached to the stalks of reeds and cat's-tails, and which it lines with hair and feathers. The female is responsible for incubation but both parents care for the chicks.

HABITAT

It depends on wet areas with abundant river vegetation (reeds, cat's-tails, etc.). It occupies lakes, marshes, riverbanks and canals.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is distributed unevenly in the main river basins (Ebro, Duero, Tajo, Guadiana, and Guadalquivir), and in Levante and the Balearic Islands.

In Castile and León: It is distributed throughout all of the provinces, and the largest concentrations are in Salamanca, southeastern León, southern Palencia and western Burgos.

Movements and migrations: It is a migratory species with wintering areas in tropical sub-Saharan Africa. During migration, local specimens and those from central and western Europe pass through the peninsula and Balearic Islands. The prenuptial passage takes place between March and May, and the postnuptial between August and October.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 10000-20000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of more than 10000 breeding pairs.