The high, insect-like reeling song of the grasshopper warbler is the best clue to its presence. Even when you hear one it can be difficult to locate it due to the ventriloquial effect of its singing. If seen on migration it moves like a little mouse, creeping through the foliage. Dramatic population declines have made this a Red List species.
Key ID Features:
Most often heard from a hidden location, its reeling call, reminiscent of a grasshopper and likened to a fishing line being reeled in, fades and loudens as it moves its head from side to side.
Usually only seen flitting between hidden safety but rare good views, usually when singing from a low perch with constantly open bill, reveal an olive- brown, streaked or spotted back, a finely streaked head and cheeks and lighter breast.
A weak supercilium and pale, flesh coloured legs complete the ensemble.
In flight it shows a relatively long, broad, rounded tail.
Overview
Scientific name: Locustella naevia
Family: Warblers and allies (Sylviidae)
Where to see them:
Found scattered across the UK in summer, although less common in Scotland. Likes areas of scrub, thick grassland, the edges of reedbeds, new forestry plantations and gravel pits with plenty of scattered bushes.
Seen in UK:
Birds arrive from mid-April and leave again in August and September. Best listened for between April and July when they perch and sing from songposts, mostly at dawn and dusk but often through the night.
What they eat
Insects.
Text (c) RSPB, used with permission
For more information click here
Photographer: Tim Tapley
