Aquatic warbler
Acrocephalus paludicola (Vieillot, 1817)
The aquatic warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola) is a bird in the family Acrocephalidae, part of the songbirds and other perching birds. It is a small bird with an adult body mass of 11.6 g, with reported values from 10.1 to 12.05 g, and a wingspan of 18 cm.
Quick facts about the aquatic warbler
This migratory, perching invertivore lives in wetland habitats and has a geographic range of 182,600 km². The aquatic warbler is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, an IUCN threatened category.
- Weight
- 10.1 g – 12.1 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 18 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4.94src for Young per litter or clutch
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the aquatic warbler?
Photos of the aquatic warbler
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Where does the aquatic warbler live?
Not recorded
What is the aquatic warbler?
The aquatic warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola) is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds in temperate eastern Europe and western Asia, with an estimated population of 11,000-15,000 pairs. It is migratory, wintering in west Africa. After many years of uncertainty, the wintering grounds of much of the European population were finally discovered in Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary, Senegal, with between 5,000 and 10,000 birds present at this single site. Its south-westerly migration route means that it is regular on passage as far west as Great Britain and Ireland.
This small passerine bird is a species found in wet sedge beds with vegetation shorter than 30 cm (12 in). Drainage has meant that this species has declined, and its stronghold is now the Polesie region of eastern Poland and south Belarus, where 70% of the world's population breeds. 3–5 eggs are laid in a nest in low vegetation. This species is highly promiscuous, with most males and females having offspring with multiple partners.
This is a medium-sized warbler. The adult has a heavily streaked brown back and pale underparts with variable streaking. The forehead is flattened, and the bill is strong and pointed. There is a prominent whitish supercilium and crown stripe.
It can be confused with the juvenile sedge warbler, which may show a crown stripe, but the marking is stronger in this species, which appears paler and spiky-tailed in flight. The sexes are identical, as with most warblers, but young birds are unstreaked on the breast below. Like most warblers, it is insectivorous, but will take other small food items, including berries.
The song is a fast, chattering ja-ja-ja punctuated with typically acrocephaline whistles.
The genus name Acrocephalus is from Ancient Greek akros, "highest", and kephale, "head". It is possible that Naumann and Naumann thought akros meant "sharp-pointed". The specific paludicola is Latin, from paludis, "swamp", and colere, "to inhabit".
From the Wikipedia article “Aquatic warbler” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aquatic_warbler&oldid=1319702637), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the aquatic warbler endangered?
The aquatic warbler is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.
How is the aquatic warbler classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyAcrocephalidae
- genusAcrocephalus
- SpeciesAcrocephalus paludicola (Vieillot, 1817)
Synonyms Acrocephalus aquaticus, Acrocephalus aquaticus aquaticus, Acrocephalus aquaticus cariceti, Acrocephalus aquaticus limicola, Acrocephalus aquaticus striata, Acrocephalus salicarius, Calamodus aquaticus, Calamodus paludicola, Calamodus salicarius, Calamodyta aquatica, Calamodyta cariceti, Calamodyta schenobenus, Calamoherpe aquatica, Motacilla aquatica, Muscipeta salicaria, Salicaria aquatica, Sylvia aquatica, Sylvia cariceti, Sylvia palaudicola, Sylvia paludicola, Sylvia salicaria, Sylvia schoenobaenus, Sylvia striata, Titiza paludicola
Other names and names in other languages (61)
- АчалыҟәAbkhazian
- هازجة الماءArabic
- Carrasclís cellutoAragonese
- carricín ceyuduAsturian
- Алабаш ҡурҙайBashkir
- Вяртлявая чаротаўкаBelarusian
- Водно шаварчеBulgarian
- Rouzegan-dourBreton
- boscarla d'aiguaCatalan
- rákosník ostřicovýCzech
- telor dŵrWelsh
- Telor y DwrWelsh
- Telor y dŵrWelsh
- Telorion y DwrWelsh
- VandsangerDanish
- SeggenrohrsängerGerman
- ΝεροποταμίδαGreek
- AkvokanbirdoEsperanto
- akva kanbirdoEsperanto
- Carricerín cejudoSpanish
- tarna-roolindEstonian
- Ur-benarrizBasque
- مگسگیر سردراز مردابیPersian
- sarakerttunenFinnish
- BrúnnljómariFaroese
- BrunnljómariFaroese
- Phragmite aquatiqueFrench
- Ceolaire uisceIrish
- Folosa acuáticaGalician
- Kiaulleyder ushteyManx
- קנית גדותHebrew
- trstenjak ševarCroatian
- csíkosfejű nádiposzátaHungarian
- FenjasöngvariIcelandic
- PagliaroloItalian
- ハシボソヨシキリJapanese
- Ұшқалақ айқабақKazakh
- DachskäppchenLuxembourgish
- meldinė nendrinukėLithuanian
- grīšļu ķauķisLatvian
- воден трскарMacedonian
- waterrietzangerDutch
- vassongarNorwegian Nynorsk
- vannsangerNorwegian
- wodniczkaPolish
- felosa-aquáticaPortuguese
- Lăcar de pipirigRomanian
- Вертлявая камышевкаRussian
- Вертлявая камышовкаRussian
- PagghiarolaSicilian
- SuotnjoruoššehasNorthern Sami
- trsteniarik vodnýSlovak
- povodna trstnicaSlovenian
- Istočni trstenjakSerbian
- vattensångareSwedish
- su kamışçınıTurkish
- Sarı KamışçınTurkish
- очеретянка прудкаUkrainian
- Chích nướcVietnamese
- 水栖苇莺Chinese
- 水棲葦鶯Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the aquatic warbler
Other species in the same genus Acrocephalus.
Great reed warbler
Acrocephalus arundinaceus
Common reed warbler
Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Sedge warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
Marsh warbler
Acrocephalus palustris
Blyth's reed warbler
Acrocephalus dumetorum
Paddyfield warbler
Acrocephalus agricola
CompareAquatic warbler vs Great reed warblerAquatic warbler vs Common reed warblerAquatic warbler vs Sedge warblerAquatic warbler vs Marsh warbler
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the aquatic warbler?
The aquatic warbler is a bird in the family Acrocephalidae, within the songbirds and other perching birds.
How much does the aquatic warbler weigh?
An adult aquatic warbler weighs 11.6 g, with reported values from 10.1 to 12.05 g.
What does the aquatic warbler eat?
The aquatic warbler is an invertivore, placing it at the carnivore trophic level.
What habitat does the aquatic warbler live in?
The aquatic warbler lives in wetland habitats.
Is the aquatic warbler endangered?
The aquatic warbler is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, which is an IUCN threatened category.
Does the aquatic warbler migrate?
Yes, the aquatic warbler is migratory.
Who named the aquatic warbler?
The aquatic warbler, Acrocephalus paludicola, was named by (Vieillot, 1817).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Aquatic warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/aquatic-warbler
“Aquatic warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/aquatic-warbler.
@misc{aquatic_warbler_2026,
title = {Aquatic warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/aquatic-warbler},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}