Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Silhouette: Roger Culos · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The common reed warbler or Eurasian reed-warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds across Europe into the temperate western Palaearctic where it is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also a resident species over large parts of Africa.
The common reed warbler was formally described in 1804 by the French naturalist Johann Hermann under the binomial name Turdus scirpaceus. The type locality is Alsace. The common reed warbler is now one of around 40 species placed in the genus Acrocephalus that was introduced by Johann Andreas Naumann and his son Johann Friedrich Naumann in 1811. The genus name Acrocephalus is from Ancient Greek akros, "highest", and kephalē, "head". It is possible that the Naumanns thought akro- meant "sharp-pointed," as in ἄκρα (akra, 'end, point'). The specific scirpaceus is from Latin and means "belonging to the bulrushes" (scirpus).
Ten subspecies are recognised: Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jerusalem | 🇮🇱 Israel | |
| 2 | Antalya | 🇹🇷 Turkey | |
| 3 | Sincan | 🇹🇷 Turkey | |
| 4 | Zanzibar City | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Kuwait City | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | |
| 6 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Rabat | 🇲🇦 Morocco | |
| 8 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 10 | Tunis | 🇹🇳 Tunisia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Reed-Warbler sighting in Nairobi National Park on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 325th most-seen of the 371 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Reed-Warbler in Nairobi National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to March, the lowest months. That is one of Nairobi National Park's wettest months, with about 180 mm of rain against 15 mm in July.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eurasian Reed-Warbler sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
23rd of 31
Of the 31 parks where we can rate Eurasian Reed-Warbler sightings, Nairobi National Park ranks 23rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Hortobágy National Park (Hungary, about 40%), Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungary, about 30%) and Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Reed-Warbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Nairobi National Park (16 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
