Blyth’s Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum)

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March 19, 2025
Flora & Fauna
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Blyth’s Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum) 🐦🎶

The Blyth’s Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum) is a small, secretive migratory warbler, best known for its rich and varied song. It breeds in temperate Europe and Asia and migrates to South Asia for the winter, making it a regular winter visitor to India, including the Sundarban region. Though not a mangrove specialist, it prefers scrubby woodlands, reed beds, and wetland edges, where it remains well-camouflaged.

📌 Taxonomy and Classification

  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Class: Aves
  • Order: Passeriformes
  • Family: Acrocephalidae
  • Genus: Acrocephalus
  • Species: Acrocephalus dumetorum

Named after Edward Blyth, a British zoologist who studied birds in India, this species belongs to the reed warbler family (Acrocephalidae).

🔍 Morphology and Physical Characteristics

  • Size: Small, measuring 13–14 cm (5.1–5.5 in) in length.
  • Weight: Around 9–14 grams.
  • Plumage:
    • Dull brown upperparts, helping it blend into its environment.
    • Pale buff underparts, with a slightly darker breast.
    • Faint whitish supercilium (eyebrow stripe), less pronounced than in other warblers.
    • Slender, pointed beak, adapted for catching insects.
  • Sexual Dimorphism:
    • Males and females look identical.
  • Juveniles:
    • Slightly warmer brown tones than adults.

🌍 Habitat and Distribution

The Blyth’s Reed Warbler breeds in:

  • Temperate Europe and Central Asia, where it prefers woodlands, scrublands, and wetlands.

It migrates to South Asia, including India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, for the winter, favoring:

  • Dense undergrowth, thickets, and wetland edges.
  • Gardens, farmlands, and tree-lined riverbanks.

📍 Presence in Sundarban

  • While not a core mangrove species, it is a winter migrant to:
    • Scrubland patches and buffer zones of Sundarban.
    • Wetland edges and reed beds, where it remains well-hidden.
    • Farms, orchards, and village groves near the mangrove ecosystem.

It is hard to spot due to its secretive nature, but birdwatchers may hear its complex song during migration season.

🥣 Diet and Feeding Behavior

The Blyth’s Reed Warbler is insectivorous, feeding on:

  • Small insects (flies, beetles, moths, grasshoppers, and caterpillars). 🦟
  • Spiders and larvae, especially in breeding months.
  • Occasionally small fruits and nectar for additional energy.

It forages in dense vegetation, using rapid movements to catch insects.

⚡ Special Features and Behavior

  • Master Singer: Produces complex, continuous songs, often mimicking other bird species. 🎶
  • Migratory Species: Travels thousands of kilometers from its breeding grounds to its wintering sites.
  • Skilled Camouflage: Blends into dense foliage, making it hard to spot.
  • Solitary and Secretive: Unlike other warblers, it rarely moves in flocks.
  • Breeding Season: From May to July, in Eurasian forests, where males sing to attract mates.

🛡️ Conservation Status

  • Classified as Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN Red List. ✅
  • Major threats:
    • Habitat loss in breeding and wintering regions.
    • Wetland degradation, affecting insect populations.

Conservation efforts to preserve forests, scrublands, and wetland patches support this species.

The Blyth’s Reed Warbler is a migratory songbird, known for its sweet, elaborate melodies and secretive nature. Though it does not inhabit the core Sundarban mangroves, it is a regular winter visitor to buffer zones, wetland edges, and scrub forests. For birdwatchers, a Sundarban private tour during migration season offers a great chance to hear and observe this elusive warbler. 🦜🌿

📚 Footnote

For more details on the Blyth’s Reed Warbler, visit its Wikipedia page.