Eurasian Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus scirpaceus

Order: Passeriformes
Family: Acrocephalidae
Presence in the Strait: Seasonal
Abundance: common
Protection in Spain: Special protection (List)
In Spanish: Carricero común

Photograph: Alan Shearman, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length: 13 cm
Weight: 12 g

Presence in the Strait

Common summer visitor to marshes, abundant during migration in many habitats.

Identification

No distinctive marks, buff-white underparts, red-brown rump but variable leg colour; pointed head with flat forehead that emphasises the length of the bill; indistinct eye-ring and supercilium.

Movements

Less noticeable prenuptial migration as their route is more to the East. Peaks in 1st hf. May and 2nd hf. September.

Ring recoveries

Belgium (12), Germany (10), Sweden (10), United Kingdom (7), Holland (5), France (4), Poland (4), Switzerland (2), Estonia (1) and Finland (1).

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

20 %

Peak in September. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 5 November 1966
Latest record: 8 April 2026

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Spanish Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: LC · Least concern · breeding
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Phenology compared

Monthly distribution in proportion, by decade. It shows whether the passage is getting earlier or later.

1990–1999

2000–2009

2010–2026

Proportions, not totals: observation effort grew faster than any population.

Where they come from

56 birds ringed in other countries and recovered in the area.

Belgium12
Germany10
Sweden10
United Kingdom7
Netherlands5
France4

See the journey on the map

Same genus in the Strait

Blyth’s Reed Warbler12.5–12.5 cm · Vagrant · overlapping size
Sedge Warbler13–13 cm · Migrant
Moustached Warbler13–13 cm · Seasonal
Great Reed Warbler19–19 cm · Seasonal
Aquatic Warbler13–13 cm · Vagrant

Species of the same genus that also occur here, ordered by how close they are in size. Being relatives does not mean they are confused in the field, but that is where the doubts start: compare size and season.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Acrocephalidae
GBIF taxon key: 2493118

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Alan Shearman, CC BY, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Eurasian Reed Warbler

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Movements

Ring recoveries

Gallery