African Reed-Warbler ( Acrocephalus baeticatus, family: Sylviidae)
Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called African Marsh Warbler
The African Reed-Warbler (Latin name Acrocephalus baeticatus) is
described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird
has a unique Roberts number of 631 and you will find a full description
of this bird on page 797 also a picture of the African Reed-Warbler on
page 849. The African Reed-Warbler belongs to the family of birds
classified as Sylviidae.
In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the African Reed-Warbler was called the African Marsh Warbler
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The African Reed-Warbler is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park.
In terms of distribution of the African Reed-Warbler in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. African Reed-Warbler : see above distribution map.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The African Reed-Warbler is a small bird about the size of a house sparrow. Do not take this relative indicator as anything other than a rough easy to remember indicator. It is not a accurate visualization. The height of the African Reed-Warbler is about 13 cms and its weight is about 11 gms
The male and female African Reed-Warbler have the same plumage and colours
- Head is brown.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is grey.
- Throat is white.
- Back is brown.
- Legs are green.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The African Reed-Warbler feeds on the ground, and on the wing mainly
Invertebrates
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The African Reed-Warbler is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Acrocephalus baeticatus will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of African Reed-Warbler is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 2 to 4
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for African Reed-Warbler are: woodlands and grasslands and riverine areas
You will normally see the African Reed-Warbler by itself rather than in the company of birds of the same species.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Kleinrietsanger
German ... Gartenrohrsnger
Portuguese ... Rouxinol-dos-canios-africano
French ... Rousserolle africaine
Dutch ... Kortvleugelkarakiet
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 631
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
