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  Profile

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  In flight

Songbirds

Moustached Warbler

Acrocephalus melanopogon

• rare
• 55 km/h
• Least Concern

Reed-bed specialist with a bold white eyebrow. The only Acrocephalus that doesn't migrate far.

Population

~434,000–712,000 mature individuals globally (2015 estimate; BirdLife International/IUCN), derived in part from a European breeding estimate of 152,000–249,000 mature individuals (~35% of global range)

Habitat

Dense low aquatic vegetation, especially old reedbeds with a high proportion of dead reed material and a complex lower stratum topped by tall reeds, plus rush stands, sedges, reedmace, and freshwater/brackish marshes

Fun fact

Unlike most of its Acrocephalus reed-warbler relatives, the Moustached Warbler is largely non-migratory in the western part of its range, staying close to its reedbed year-round instead of wintering in Africa.

Range

Southern Europe, the Mediterranean basin and northwest Africa through the Middle East to central Asia and the Indian subcontinent; breeding range runs from Spain/France east through central Europe to Russia and Kazakhstan. Southwestern European birds are largely resident, southeastern European breeders winter around the Mediterranean, and Asian populations migrate to Arabia, India and Pakistan.

Diet

Insectivorous — gleans small insects and other invertebrates from reed stems and low marsh vegetation, like most Acrocephalus warblers

Size

0.125 m

Wingspan

0.17 m

Lifespan

11 years