The Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) is Sweden's largest warbler at about 19–20 cm, roughly starling-sized and far bulkier than its reed-warbler relatives. It is warm brown above and pale buff to off-white below, darkest on the flanks, with a clear pale eyebrow stripe, and the long, heavy bill is strikingly large for a warbler. Size is the most reliable field mark: in the field the bird gives a robust, almost thrush-like impression as it clambers through the reeds.
The song is loud, harsh and rhythmic, built from grating two- or three-syllable phrases often rendered as "karre-karre-karre-kiet-kiet-kiet", carrying several hundred metres and, unusually for a warbler, often delivered in broad daylight. It breeds mainly in southern and central Sweden, concentrated in Skåne, Halland, Öland, Gotland and around the lakes of the Mälaren region, becoming scarce further north; a late-arriving long-distance migrant that winters in tropical Africa, its distribution is limited above all by the availability of large, long-established reedbeds in nutrient-rich lakes. The nest is a deep, basket-like structure woven fast between several sturdy reed stems, usually 40–100 cm above the water; the female lays 3–6 eggs and incubates for about two weeks, typically raising a single brood per year. It feeds mainly on insects, larvae and spiders gleaned from the reeds and their surroundings, but its size and strong bill allow it to take larger prey too, occasionally including small fish and frog tadpoles.
Read about this species in Swedish →