Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Silhouette: Roger Culos · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 Niokolo-Koba National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 171st most-seen of the 215 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Reed-Warbler in Niokolo-Koba National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, August–September and November–December, the lowest months. That is one of Niokolo-Koba National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 300 mm in August. May–July and October have too few records to rate.
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.
15th of 31
Of the 31 parks where we can rate Eurasian Reed-Warbler sightings, Niokolo-Koba National Park ranks 15th 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%).
Same family: Acrocephalidae
The closest relatives of the Eurasian Reed-Warbler that you can see in Niokolo-Koba National Park (family Acrocephalidae, Reed Warblers and Allies) are Western Olivaceous Warbler (about 20%) and Melodious Warbler (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Reed-Warbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Niokolo-Koba National Park (13 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.
