Scientific name: Locustella naevia (Boddaert, 1783)
Bird group: Warblers
Field characters. 13 cm. Small streaked bird, usually very difficult to see. Upperparts brown with black streaks and spots on head and upperparts, forming dark lines. Underparts paler, with brown flanks and dirty white belly. Breast sometimes finely spotted or streaked. Tail rather broad and rounded. Supercilium indistinct. Not shy, sometimes even curious, but due to skulking habits almost impossible to see. Lives mainly on the ground and in low vegetation, even sings from a low songpost in dense cover. Flight low, weak and jerky, usually only for short distances. Sings also at night.
Voice. Call 'twit' or 'pit'. Song a high, endless and monotonous 'rrrrrrrrrrrrr', longer than Savi's Warbler and so high that especially elderly people sometimes can't hear it.
Distribution. Locally common summer visitor.
Habitat. Reed beds, marshes and other wet habitats with dense cover. Also in drier places, like heather and dunes.
Food. Insects, mainly found in low vegetation or on ground.