- Locustella naevia
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 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 degrees north.
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: 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.
Habitat
Found in wet and dry situations in grasslands and meadows, nettlebeds; reedbeds, cereal fields and often along streams, canals and overgrown ditches.
Behaviour
Bird Song
<flashmp3>Locustella naevia (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
