The paddyfield warbler (''Acrocephalus agricola'') is a species of marsh warbler ( family Acrocephalidae). It was formerly included in the " Old World warbler" assemblage. The Manchurian reed warbler (''A. tangorum'') was (and sometimes still is) included in ''A. agricola'' as a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

. The genus name ''Acrocephalus'' is from Ancient Greek ''akros'', "highest", and ''kephale'', "head". It is possible that

Naumann Naumann is a Central German variation of the surname Neumann. Notable people with the surname include: * Albert Naumann (1875–?), German Olympic fencer * Alexander Naumann (1837–1922), German chemist * Christian August Naumann (1705–?), Germa ...

and

thought ''akros'' meant "sharp-pointed". The specific ''agricola'' is from Latin and means "farmer". It breeds in the temperate central

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...

. It is migratory, wintering in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. It is a rare vagrant to western Europe although there are small breeding populations along the western shores of the Black Sea around the border between Bulgaria and Romania. This passerine bird is a species found in low vegetation such as long grass, reeds and rice. 4–5

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

s are laid in a nest in grass. At long with a wingspan of , the paddyfield warbler is close in size to the Eurasian reed warbler but with shorter bill and wingspan. The adult has an unstreaked pale brown back and buff underparts, with a warm brown rump. There is a clearer whitish supercilium and the bill is short and pointed. The sexes are identical, as with most warblers, but young birds are richer buff below. Like most warblers, it is insectivorous. The song is fast and similar to

marsh warbler The marsh warbler (''Acrocephalus palustris'') is an Old World warbler currently classified in the family Acrocephalidae. It breeds in temperate Europe and the western Palearctic and winters mainly in southeast Africa. It is notable for incorpora ...

, with much mimicry and typically acrocephaline whistles added. Its song is weaker and more rhythmic than that of its relative.

References

External links

* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q827657 paddyfield warbler Birds of Europe Birds of Central Asia paddyfield warbler Taxa named by Thomas C. Jerdon