Acrocephalus (?) Warbler from Oman (1 Viewer)

[michael-ibk]

3/3/24, Al Mughsayl area. I'd say Eurasian Reed Warbler but the choice of habitat and way of moving around was quite baffling. Very dry wadi with a few bushes. Very actively flitting around there, occassionally also on the ground. Water not too far away, maybe 500 metres or so. Did not vocalise.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,

l agree with you, its a Reed Warbler (or one of the closely related species from this group), but not of the "great Acros" or a Marsh Warbler.

But as always better wait for members with experience from that region. Thanks!

 

[MJB]

Hello,

l agree with you, its a Reed Warbler (or one of the closely related species from this group), but not of the "great Acros" or a Marsh Warbler.

But as always better wait for members with experience from that region. Thanks!

Possibly it's taxon fuscus, a fairly common passage migrant and winter visitor to Oman (Oman Bird Report 7). Known informally as Caspian Reed Warbler, its taxonomic identity is in limbo because of lack of knowledge of the distribution of many populations and their relationships in what IOC have named as the Common Reed Warbler complex. The boundaries between many of the CRW taxa are poorly known, and so until there is better info, assigning species rank within this complex, which may well resolve into one or more superspecies, would be premature.

However, like Alexander, your excellent images need assessment by excellent ID specialists!
MJB

 

[Grahame Walbridge]

Agree Common Reed Warbler, presumably ssp. fuscus based on location. Upperparts too warm for Marsh, pale tips to primaries should be more obvious, bill structure wrong i.e too slim with pointed tip, tertials too short which typically overlap the secondaries in Marsh + wrong leg colour. In any case, the date is way too early for Marsh which should normally still be in Africa with onward passage through Arabia not until late April at the earliest.

Grahame

 

[michael-ibk]

Many thanks @Alexander Stöhr , @MJB and @Grahame Walbridge !