African Reed-Warbler

About the African Reed-Warbler

The common reed warbler or Eurasian reed-warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds across Europe into the temperate western Palaearctic where it is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also a resident species over large parts of Africa.

The common reed warbler was formally described in 1804 by the French naturalist Johann Hermann under the binomial name Turdus scirpaceus. The type locality is Alsace. The common reed warbler is now one of around 40 species placed in the genus Acrocephalus that was introduced by Johann Andreas Naumann and his son Johann Friedrich Naumann in 1811. The genus name Acrocephalus is from Ancient Greek akros, "highest", and kephalē, "head". It is possible that the Naumanns thought akro- meant "sharp-pointed," as in ἄκρα (akra, 'end, point'). The specific scirpaceus is from Latin and means "belonging to the bulrushes" (scirpus).

Ten subspecies are recognised: A. s. scirpaceus (Hermann, 1804) – breeds in Europe to west Russia, Ukraine and west Turkey, northwest Africa, winters in west, central Africa A. s. fuscus (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833) – breeds in north Egypt and central Turkey... Wikipedia →