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The Eurasian Reed Warbler is medium-sized warbler (less than Sparrow); the upperparts are olive-brownish rusty tinged especially on the rump; the crown without mottles and strips. The underparts are whitish buffy tinged especially on flanks. The eye-ring is light and faintly; the supercilium is faint, short almost not expanded over the eye. The light edges on the flight feathers are faintly expressed. It is most resembles the Blyth's Reed, Paddyfield and Marsh Warbles. From Blyth's Reed Warbler it is distinguished by the buffy tone domination and the expressed rusty uppertail; from Marsh Wrbler by the same characters and the dark legs (grey-brown without buffy domination); from the Paddyfield Warbler by the flattening forehead, slimmer constitution; narrow faint supercilium; plain monochromatic upperparts; dark legs. The seasonal differences of plumage are insignificant. The adult birds have light-brown “hawk” eyes. Juveniles have brown eyes; plumage is slightly rusty than on adults. Contact features: 2nd primary is longer than 5th, on folded wing the primaries projection is more than 15 mm; the claw of rear finger is about the finger on length. Weight 9-15 grams, length about 13, wing 5,9-7,4, wingspan 17-21 cm.

Biology

The Reed Warbler is common breeding migrant. It inhabits the reed beds on the lakes, plain rivers and pounds; the willow thickets on the shore of reservoirs. On migration it occurs also in bush thickets, forest-belts and tall weeds. It arrives in April – early May singly or in small groups. It breeds in separate pairs on 15-50 m one from another. Nest is built by both partners in reed on shallow water at 50-80 cm from the water; it is built from the dry grass mixed with vegetation fluff and cobweb and is lined with thin grass and some hair. Clutches of 3-6 eggs is in June. Mostly female incubates for 12-13 days. Both parents feed juveniles, which fledge at 11-13 days old, in July. Like most warblers, it is insectivorous, but will take other small food items including berries. Autumn migration starts in end July – August. On Chokpak Pass recorded 3 September 1997 and 1 October 2000. The latest birds recorded in end September – mid-October.

References

В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Урала, Приуралья и Западной Сибири". Екатеринбург, Изд-во Уральского университета, 2000. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005.