Lesser Swamp-Warbler ( Acrocephalus gracilirostris, family: Sylviidae)
Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called Cape Reed-Warbler
The Lesser Swamp-Warbler (Latin name Acrocephalus gracilirostris) is
described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird
has a unique Roberts number of 635 and you will find a full description
of this bird on page 802 also a picture of the Lesser Swamp-Warbler on
page 849. The Lesser Swamp-Warbler belongs to the family of birds
classified as Sylviidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of
African Ornithology the Lesser Swamp-Warbler is also known by these
other names: Swamp-Warbler.
In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Lesser Swamp-Warbler was called the Cape Reed-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 Lesser Swamp-Warbler is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park.
In terms of distribution of the Lesser Swamp-Warbler in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Lesser Swamp-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 Lesser Swamp-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 Lesser Swamp-Warbler is about 18 cms and its weight is about 20 gms
The male and female Lesser Swamp-Warbler have the same plumage and colours
- Head is brown.
- Eye is red.
- Bill is yellow, .
- Throat is white.
- Back is brown.
- Legs are blue, grey.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Lesser Swamp-Warbler feeds on the ground mainly
Invertebrates
Aquatic life forms
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Lesser Swamp-Warbler is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Acrocephalus gracilirostris will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Lesser Swamp-Warbler is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are brown in colour and number between 2 to 3
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Lesser Swamp-Warbler are: wetlands and riverine areas
You will normally see the Lesser Swamp-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 ...Kaapse Rietsanger
German ... Kaprohrsnger
Portuguese ... Rouxinol-pequeno-dos-pntanos
French ... Rousserolle bec fin
Dutch ... Kaapse Rietzanger
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 635
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
