Description 
Our initial impression of the bird, as it moved around in riverside trees 
was of a large Hippolais warbler. This was due to its size, elongated 
silhouette, primary projection (longer than Reed Warbler), and its olive 
greyish-brown coloured upperparts. 
Size: intermediate between Reed Warbler and Great Reed Warbler; 
perhaps closer to Reed Warbler because of its slimmer silhouette. 
Plumage colouration: Upperparts; unlike Reed Warbler and Great Reed 
Warbler it was without any warm tinge (yellowish or rufous), and 
neither was it greyish enough for Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum 
or Upcher's Warbler. Underparts; paler than Great Reed Warbler 
(whitish to creamy white) with a buffish tinge restricted to the lower 
flanks. The white throat did not show any dark streaking, eliminating the 
eastern race of Great Reed A a zarudnyi. The head pattern was well 
defined with a long whitish supercilium which was narrow, though 
distinct, mainly in front of the eye (unlike Great Reed Warbler). The bird 
showed a thin, but well-marked, blackish eye-stripe (prominent on 
lores). 
Bill: distinctly longer than that of Marsh or Reed Warbler and distinctly 
narrower than that of Great Reed or even than Clamorous Reed Warbler 
A stentoreus. The bill colour was yellowish-horn. 
Wings: a long winged bird (primary projection almost equal with tertial 
length), wftich eliminates Great Reed and Clamorous Reed. The colour 
of the wings was darker than upperparts, without any pale fringes to the 
primaries or secondaries (ie. no panel). 
Legs: Although the colour of the legs was not well seen, we are sure they 
were not pale (neither yellowish, nor flesh, or pinkish). 
Tail: no particular note about the tail was taken, although the bird did not 
show any characteristic tail movements (eg. cocking as in Blyth's Reed 
Warbler A dumetorum or waving as in Upcher's Warbler). 
Call: the bird was silent. 
Discussion 
The bird observed in Turkey showed many of the characteristic features 
of Basra Reed Warbler. However, subsequent literature published on 
their identification (see British Birds Vol. 81, No.4 pages 171-178 and 
Dutch Birding Vol. 14, No.2 pages 41-48) has revealed that several other 
features that are of paramount importance in their identification were 
not observed. Briefly, these include: 
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