THE GREAT REED -WARBLER. 



Key to species of genus ACROCEPHALUS. 



Top of head uniform 2 



Top of head streaked 5 



Much larger, wings over 80 mm. . . ^ 

 Much smaller, wings under 80 mm. . 3 

 2nd primary shorter than 5th .... 

 2nd primary longer than 5th ... 4 



Attenuation of inner web of 2nd primary begins 

 between tip of secondaries and 8th primary . 



Attenuation of inner web of 2nd primary begins 

 before tip of 8th 



A. arundinaceus p. 335 

 A. dumetorum,p. 344 



Conspicuous light line along middle of crown, 



upper tail-coverts distinctly spotted 

 No obvious light line along middle of crown, 



upper tail-coverts not distinctly spotted . A. schcenobcenus, p. 346 



A. scirpaceus, p. 339 

 A. palustris, p. 342 



A. aquaticus, p. 349 



ACROCEPHALUS ARUNDINACEUS 



141. Acrocephalus arundinaceus arundinaceus 

 GREAT REED-WARBLER. 



(L.) THE 



TUKDUS AETJNDINACEUS Linnaeus, Syst. Kat., ed. x, i, p. 170 (1758 

 ex Klein : Danzig). 



Acrocephalus arundinaceus (Linnaeus), Yarrell, i, p. 364 ; Acrocephalus 

 turdoides (Meyer), Saunders, p. 83. 



DESCRIPTION. Adult male 

 and female. Winter. 

 Whole upper -parts warm 

 olive-brown, crown darker, 

 and back, rump, and upper 

 tail-coverts more tawny - 

 brown ; narrow stripe from 

 nostrils, over and behind 

 eye cream-colour ; lores 

 and ear-coverts brown ; 

 chin, throat, and centre of 

 belly white with varying 

 number of narrow brown 



shaft -streaks on feathers of lower-throat but sometimes these 

 are absent ; rest of under -parts, including under tail -co verts, 

 under wing-coverts and axillaries creamy- to tawny buff, darkest 

 on flanks ; tail brown with narrow whitish tips ; wing-feathers 

 dark brown with small whitish tips and outer and inner webs 

 narrowly edged pale brown ; all wing-coverts as upper- parts 

 with rather paler edges. This plumage is acquired by com- 

 plete moult in Aug.-Nov. Summer A complete moult (including 



Great Eeed- Warbler 

 (Acrocephalus a. arundinaceus). 



