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Locustella naevia

Common grasshopper warbler

Habitus (CC BY-SA 3.0) Stefan Hage

Short Description

The common grasshopper warbler is drab with a brownish plumage, speckled in dark-brown. The underparts are yellowish-white and the legs reddish-brown. Characteristic features are its comparatively large wedge-shaped tail and its song that could be confused with a grasshopper. It mainly scurries around on the ground.

Features

Common grasshopper warbler

Locustella naevia

  • mostly moves on the ground

  • song reminiscent of grasshoppers

Gesang

Tembrock, CC BY-SA 3.0

00:00

Similar species

Marsh warbler

Acrocephalus palustris
The marsh warbler has a lighter coloured throat and a thin white eye-ring.

Eurasian reed warbler

Acrocephalus scirpaceus
The reed warbler has a lighter-coloured throat and dark legs.
Habitus (CC BY-SA 4.0) Nouhouhouk

In the city

The grasshopper warbler is found in open areas with bushes or other plants such as nettles. It prefers wet meadows and floodplains. This is why it is mostly seen on the outskirts of towns.

Fun Facts

  • The common grasshopper warbler is a migratory bird. It can be seen in Germany from April to September. In early September, it flies south to hibernate.

  • Endangerment level Germany: endangered
Habitus (CC BY-SA 2.0) Steve Garvie

Sources

Habitus , Stefan Hage, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grashoppsangare-070512.jpg

Habitus , Nouhouhouk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Locustelle_tachet%C3%A9e_-_Locustella_naevia.JPG

Habitus , Steve Garvie, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_Rainbirder_-_Grasshopper_Warbler_(Locustella_naevia)_(1).jpg

Witt, K. & Steiof, K. (2013) Rote Liste und Liste der Brutvögel von Berlin, 3. version, 15.11.2013. : Berliner Ornithologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft e.V. (eds.) Berliner Ornithologischer Bericht, volume 23, Berlin: Berliner Ornithologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft e.V., 1-23.

Bejcek, V. (1988) Zugvögel, Hanau/Main: Verlag Werner Dausien.

Artenfinder (2016) Locustella naevia (Feldschwirl), URL: https://arteninfo.net/elearning/voegel/speciesportrait/3093 (Accessed: 18.04.2016).

Page „Feldschwirl“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 28.08.2016, 10:54 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Feldschwirl&oldid=157442871 (Accessed: 07.04.2017)

NABU – Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V. (2016) Rote Liste der Brutvögel Deutschlands. 5. version, published August 2016, URL: https://www.nabu.de/tiere-und-pflanzen/voegel/artenschutz/rote-listen/10221.html (Accessed: 07.04.2017).