Difference between revisions of "Common Grasshopper Warbler" - BirdForum Opus

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Alternative name: Grasshopper Warbler

Locustella naevia

Photo by the late Jim Wood
East Lothian, Scotland, April 2007

Identification

A dull brown bird with streaked upperparts and a broad rounded tail which has streaks underneath. A fluffy white throat is often obvious when the bird is singing.

Similar Species

The lack of an eyestripe eliminates Sedge Warbler. Some birds can look remarkably unstreaked and this can often lead to confusion with Savi's Warblers. However, even the most unstreaked Grasshopper Warblers will always have a dark alula.

Distribution

By far the most widespread and common of the Locustella warblers in the Western Palearctic.

Breeds over much of the British Isles (but uncommon) and from northern Spain and western France across Europe north of the Alps to the Black Sea and east to the Urals. In the north occurs in southern Norway and Sweden, the southern half of Finland and Russia to about 61 deg N.

A summer visitor to the Western Palearctic arriving in April-May and departing for wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa and India in August-October. Unobtrusive on passage and rarely seen. Occasional winter records from northwest Africa.

Vagrants recorded in Iceland, on Malta and Cyprus, the Middle East, Egypt and on the Cape Verde Islands.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 4 subspecies^[1]:

L. n. naevia:

Europe to eastern Russia and Crimea Peninsula; winters to northern and western Africa

L. n. obscurior: Larger, darker and more boldly marked

Caucasus to Georgia and northern Armenia; winters to north-eastern Africa

L. n. straminea:

Western Siberia to western China (Tien Shan Mountains of western Xinjiang)

L. n. mongolica:

Kazakhstan to Afghanistan and western Mongolia; winters to northern India

Nominate intergrades in the Urals with very similar eastern race straminea, which has been recorded in Britain.

Habitat

Found in wet and dry situations in grasslands and meadows, nettlebeds; reedbeds, cereal fields and often along streams, canals and overgrown ditches.

Behaviour

Movement

Typical flitting warbler flight, but rarely flies during breeding season. Skulks in dense cover.

Vocalisation

Call: a piercing psvitt or chik
Song: a reeling, mechanical suuuur r r r r r <flashmp3>Locustella naevia (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program

References

Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
Collins Field Guide 5th Edition ISBN 0 00 219900 9
Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Common Grasshopper Warbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Common_Grasshopper_Warbler

External Links

Search for photos of Common Grasshopper Warbler in the gallery

Search for videos of Common Grasshopper Warbler on BirdForum TV

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[category:incomplete]]
+{{incomplete}}
-;Locustella naevia
+'''Alternative name: Grasshopper Warbler'''
-[[Image:Grasshopper_Warbler.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by jtwood<br/>Location: East Lothian, Scotland]]
+;[[:Category:Locustella|Locustella]] naevia
+[[Image:Grasshopper_Warbler.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by the late '''[http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=35827 Jim Wood]'''<br />East Lothian, [[Scotland]], April 2007]]
 ==Identification==
-If you are lucky enough to see a Grasshopper Warbler you'll notice that it's a dull brown bird with streaked upperparts and a broad rounded tail which has streaks underneath. A fluffy white throat is often obvious when the bird is singing. The lack of an eyestripe eliminates [[Sedge Warbler]]. Some birds can look remarkably unstreaked and this can often lead to confusion with [[Savi's Warbler]]s. However, even the most unstreaked Grasshopper Warblers will always have a dark alula.
+A dull brown bird with streaked upperparts and a broad rounded tail which has streaks underneath. A fluffy white throat is often obvious when the bird is singing.
+====Similar Species====
+The lack of an eyestripe eliminates [[Sedge Warbler]]. Some birds can look remarkably unstreaked and this can often lead to confusion with [[Savi's Warbler]]s. However, even the most unstreaked Grasshopper Warblers will always have a dark alula.
 ==Distribution==
-By far the most widespread and common of the ''Locustella'' warblers in the Western Palearctic. Breeds over much of the British Isles (but uncommon) and from northern [[Spain]] and western [[France]] across [[Europe]] north of the Alps to the Black Sea and east to the Urals. In the north occurs in southern [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]], the southern half of [[Finland]] and [[Russia]] to about 61 degrees north.
+By far the most widespread and common of the ''Locustella'' warblers in the [[Western Palearctic]].
+'''Breeds''' over much of the British Isles (but uncommon) and from northern [[Spain]] and western [[France]] across [[Europe]] north of the Alps to the Black Sea and east to the Urals. In the north occurs in southern [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]], the southern half of [[Finland]] and [[Russia]] to about 61 deg N.
 A summer visitor to the Western Palearctic arriving in April-May and departing for wintering grounds in sub-Saharan [[Africa]] and [[India]] in August-October. Unobtrusive on passage and rarely seen. Occasional winter records from northwest [[Africa]].
-Vagrants recorded in [[Iceland]], on [[Malta]] and [[Cyprus]], the [[Middle East]], [[Egypt]] and on the [[Cape Verde Islands]].
+'''Vagrants''' recorded in [[Iceland]], on [[Malta]] and [[Cyprus]], the [[Middle East]], [[Egypt]] and on the [[Cape Verde Islands]].
 ==Taxonomy==
-Subspecies: Nominate occurs over most of Western Palearctic range but intergrades in the Urals with very similar eastern race ''straminea'', which has been recorded in Britain. Larger, darker and more boldly marked race ''obscurior'' occurs in the Caucasus.
+====Subspecies====
+There are 4 subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
+*''L. n. naevia'':
+:*[[Europe]] to eastern [[Russia]] and Crimea Peninsula; winters to northern and western [[Africa]]
+*''L. n. obscurior'': Larger, darker and more boldly marked
+:*Caucasus to [[Georgia]] and northern [[Armenia]]; winters to north-eastern [[Africa]]
+*''L. n. straminea'':
+:*Western [[Siberia]] to western [[China]] (Tien Shan Mountains of western Xinjiang)
+*''L. n. mongolica'':
+:*[[Kazakhstan]] to [[Afghanistan]] and western [[Mongolia]]; winters to northern [[India]]
+Nominate intergrades in the Urals with very similar eastern race ''straminea'', which has been recorded in Britain.
 ==Habitat==
 Found in wet and dry situations in grasslands and meadows, nettlebeds; reedbeds, cereal fields and often along streams, canals and overgrown ditches.
 ==Behaviour==
+====Movement====
-==Bird Song==
+Typical flitting warbler flight, but rarely flies during breeding season. Skulks in dense cover.
+====Vocalisation====
+'''Call''': a piercing ''psvitt'' or ''chik''<br />
+'''Song''': a reeling, mechanical ''suuuur r r r r r''
 <flashmp3>Locustella naevia (song).mp3</flashmp3><br />
 ''[[Media:Locustella naevia (song).mp3|Listen in an external program]]''
+==References==
+#{{Ref-Clements6thAug11}}#Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
+#Collins Field Guide 5th Edition ISBN 0 00 219900 9
+#Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728
+{{ref}}
 ==External Links==
 {{GSearch|Locustella+naevia}}
-[[Category:Birds]]
+<br />
+{{Video|Grasshopper_Warbler}}
+[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Locustella]][[Category:Bird Songs]] [[Category:Videos]]