Scientific name: Acrocephalus dumetorum Blyth, 1849
Bird group: Warblers
Field characters. 12.5 cm. Very similar to Reed Warbler and Paddyfield Warbler. Plumage greyer and legs and bill darker. Supercilium short and only prominent in front of eye, small or almost absent behind eye. Dark eye-stripe most obvious behind eye. Wings shorter, because primaries project less beyond tertials, and more rounded. Often sings at night, song then fuller and more prolonged than during daylight.
Voice. Call 'chek', 'tsik' and 'trrt'. Song melodious and varied, often mimics; can be confused with Icterine Warbler and especially with Marsh Warbler, but is usually much slower and mellower.
Distribution. Increasingly common in north-eastern part of region. Summer visitor.
Habitat. More in bushes with dense scrub and less in reedbeds than Marsh Warbler and Reed Warbler. Does not necessarily occur in marshes.
Food. Insects, caught in bushes or in flight.