The speckled reed warbler or streaked reed warbler (''Acrocephalus sorghophilus'') is an

Old World warbler Old World warblers are a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxonomic confusion. Two families were split out initially, the ci ...

in the family

Acrocephalidae The Acrocephalidae (the reed warblers, marsh- and tree-warblers, or acrocephalid warblers) are a family of oscine passerine birds, in the superfamily Sylvioidea. The species in this family are usually rather large "warblers". Most are rather pla ...

. The

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

was first described by

Robert Swinhoe Robert Swinhoe FRS (1 September 1836 – 28 October 1877) was an English diplomat and naturalist who worked as a Consul in Formosa. He catalogued many Southeast Asian birds, and several, such as Swinhoe's pheasant, are named after him. Bio ...

in 1863. It is found in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

s and

arable land Arable land (from the la, arabilis, "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for the ...

. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, particularly wetland loss in its wintering area of

Candaba Swamp Candaba Swamp is located in Candaba, Pampanga province, 60 km northeast of Manila in the Philippines. It encompasses about 32,000 ha, made of freshwater ponds, swamps and marshes surrounded by seasonally flooded grasslands. The entire area be ...

Description

EBird eBird is an online database of bird observations providing scientists, researchers and amateur naturalists with real-time data about bird distribution and abundance. Originally restricted to sightings from the Western Hemisphere, the project e ...

describes the bird as "A mysterious and secretive reed warbler; formerly fairly common but now increasingly rare and possibly near extinction. The only Asian reed warbler with a streaked crown and back. Adults bear a passing resemblance to the much more common Black-browed Reed Warbler but have prominent striping all along the back and crown, a less contrasting brow pattern, and are noticeably paler in color. Recorded in marshes and wet fields on passage and during the winter, but breeding grounds remain unknown. Gives a rattling, grating song akin to an Oriental Reed Warbler, but reportedly quieter."

Habitat and conservation status

On passage, it has been recorded in marshland and

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...

crops, and it occurs near the water in reed and grass marshes in the winter. It possibly uses willow scrub and reedbeds in its breeding range. It probably feeds largely on invertebrates and may consume seeds but more research is needed. Spring passage in China is from late May to early June, with autumn passage from late August to early September. All Philippine records are from September to June. IUCN has assessed this bird as critically endangered with the population estimated at just 250 to 999 mature individuals and continuing to decline. This species' main threat is

with wholesale clearance of wetland habitats particularly the only known wintering ground in

which has been converted into agricultural lands, particularly for rice. The

is a

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

Dalton Pass Dalton Pass, also called Balete Pass, is a zigzag road and mountain pass that joins the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya, in central Luzon island of the Philippines. It is part of Cagayan Valley Road segment of Pan-Philippine Highway (M ...

and other migrant trapping locations. Investigation of the potential for stable isotope analysis of museum specimens could identify areas in which the species breeds. Finally, it should be listed as a protected species in China.

References

ITES
Acrocephalus (bird) Birds described in 1863 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Acrocephalidae-stub