Tag: Paddyfield Warbler

Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola, Xinjiang, May. (Craig Brelsford)

Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola breeds Eastern Europe to Mongolia, with nominate in Xinjiang. Winters Indian Subcontinent; vagrant to southern China. HABITAT & BEHAVIOR Range expanding in Xinjiang as irrigation ditches become more extensive. Mainly skulking, but breeding males sing conspicuously on reed stems. ID & COMPARISON Very similar to Manchurian Reed Warbler A. tangorum and Blunt-winged Warbler A. concinens. Also can be confused with Booted Warbler Iduna caligata. Has prominent white supercilium that (unlike Manchurian Reed Warbler) tends to broaden rather than taper behind eye. Supercilium bordered above by diffuse black margin to crown and below by fine black eye-stripe. Rounded crown, upperparts, and distinctly rounded tail warm rufous-brown when fresh, drab greyish-brown when worn; may show indistinct pale half-collar. Contrastingly warmer rufous-brown on rump and uppertail coverts; when fresh, blackish centers to alula, tertials, and wing coverts contrast with paler fringes. Mainly buffish-white below, whitest on chin and throat, with contrasting warm buff flanks in fresh plumage. Very difficult to distinguish from Manchurian Reed Warbler. Paddyfield’s black band above supercilium is usually less well-defined, and bill and tail slightly shorter. Blunt-winged Warbler has weaker supercilium (especially behind eye), more uniform tertials, and shorter wings and tail. Blyth’s Reed Warbler A. dumetorum has colder upperparts (especially rump and uppertail coverts), less prominent supercilium (especially behind eye), more uniform tertials, longer bill, and shorter and less rounded tail. Booted Warbler has a shorter supercilium and a square-ended tail with white sides, frequent tail movement, finer bill (with broad base), and greyer upperparts. Eurasian Reed Warbler A. scirpaceus has less prominent supercilium and eye-stripe (especially behind eye), more uniform tertials, slightly shorter bill, and shorter and squarer tail. BARE PARTS Bill grey-black above, yellowish-pink below, with dark smudge on tip of lower mandible, present in all seasons (unlike Manchurian Reed) but not always obvious. Feet pinkish-brown to yellowish-grey. VOICE Song a rapid stream of scratchy notes and whistles, including much mimicry. Call a sharp chack and rolling tjrrr. — Craig Brelsford

SOUND-RECORDINGS

Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola, song, Kuitun Reservoir, north side (44.779020, 84.586502), Xinjiang, July, by Craig Brelsford (00:11; 2.1 MB)

Paddyfield Warbler, song, wetlands west of Kaba (48.060168, 86.395527), Xinjiang, July, by Craig Brelsford (00:07; 1.4 MB)

COVERAGE OF PADDYFIELD WARBLER ON SHANGHAIBIRDING.COM

— The Passerines of Northern Xinjiang

— Possible Paddyfield Warbler at Shanghai’s Cape Nanhui

THE REED WARBLERS OF CHINA

shanghaibirding.com covers most of the species in China in the family Acrocephalidae. Click any link:

Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus
Oriental Reed Warbler A. orientalis
Clamorous Reed Warbler A. stentoreus
Black-browed Reed Warbler A. bistrigiceps
Moustached Warbler A. melanopogon
Sedge Warbler A. schoenobaenus
Speckled Reed Warbler A. sorghophilus
Blunt-winged Warbler A. concinens
Manchurian Reed Warbler A. tangorum
Paddyfield Warbler A. agricola
Blyth’s Reed Warbler A. dumetorum
Eurasian Reed Warbler A. scirpaceus
Thick-billed Warbler Arundinax aedon
Booted Warbler Iduna caligata
Sykes’s Warbler I. rama
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler I. pallida

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