Acrocephalus
The Acrocephalus warblers are small, insectivorous passerine birds belonging to the genus Acrocephalus. Formerly in the paraphyletic Old World warbler assemblage, they are now separated as the namesake of the marsh- and tree-warbler family Acrocephalidae. They are sometimes called marsh-warblers or reed-warblers, but this invites confusion with Marsh Warbler and Reed Warbler proper, especially in North America where it is common to use lower case for bird species.
These are rather drab brownish warblers usually associated with marshes or other wetlands. Some are streaked, others plain. Many species are migratory.
Many species have a flat head profile, which gives rise to the group's scientific name.
Species breeding in temperate regions are strongly migratory.
The most enigmatic species of the genus, the Large-billed Reed-warbler (A. orinus), was rediscovered in Thailand on March, 2006. It was only found once before, in 1867.
List of species in taxonomic order
Moustached Warbler, Acrocephalus melanopogon
Aquatic Warbler, Acrocephalus paludicola
Sedge Warbler, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
Streaked Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus sorghophilus
Black-browed Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus bistrigiceps
Paddyfield Warbler, Acrocephalus agricola
Manchurian Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus tangorum (sometimes included in A. agricola)
Blunt-winged Warbler, Acrocephalus concinens
Eurasian Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Caspian Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus (scirpaceus) fuscus
Mangrove Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus (scirpaceus) avicenniae
African Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus baeticatus
Blyth's Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus dumetorum
Marsh Warbler, Acrocephalus palustris
Great Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus arundinaceus
Oriental Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus orientalis
Clamorous Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus stentoreus
Large-billed Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus orinus
Basra Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus griseldis
Australian Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus australis
Nightingale Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus luscinia
Aguiguan Nightingale Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus luscinia nijoi – doubtfully distinct; extinct (c.1997)
Astrolabe Nightingale Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus luscinia astrolabii – extinct (mid-19th century?)
Pagan Nightingale Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus luscinia yamashinae – doubtfully distinct; extinct (1970s)
Caroline Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus syrinx
Nauru Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus rehsei
Marshall Islands Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus rehsei ssp.? – hypothetical; extinct (c.1880?)
Millerbird, Acrocephalus familiaris
Nihoa Millerbird, Acrocephalus familiaris kingi
Laysan Millerbird, Acrocephalus familiaris familiaris – extinct (late 1910s)
Christmas Island Warbler, Acrocephalus aequinoctialis
Tahiti Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus caffer
Huahine Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus caffer garretti – extinct (19th century?), renamed in Acrocephalus musae garretti
Raiatea Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus caffer musae – extinct (19th century?), renamed in Acrocephalus musae musae
Moorea Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus longirostris – extinct (1980s?) (split from Acrocephalus caffer in 2008)
Tuamotu Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus atyphus
Rimatara Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus rimatarae
Pitcairn Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus vaughani
Henderson Island Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus taiti
Marquesan Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus mendanae
Cook Islands Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus kerearako
Greater Swamp-warbler, Acrocephalus rufescens
Cape Verde Swamp-warbler, Acrocephalus brevipennis
Lesser Swamp-warbler, Acrocephalus gracilirostris
Madagascar Swamp-warbler, Acrocephalus newtoni
Thick-billed Warbler, Acrocephalus aedon
Rodrigues Brush-warbler, Acrocephalus rodericanus
Seychelles Warbler, Acrocephalus sechellensis
Fragmentary fossil remains from the Late Miocene (about 11 mya) of Rudabánya (NE Hungary) show some apomorphies typical of this genus (Bernor et al. 2002). Given its rather early age (most Passerida genera are not known until the Pliocene), it is not too certain that it is correctly placed here, but it is highly likely to belong to the Acrocephalidae at the least.
Translation
The word "Acrocephalus" occurs as such in the following languages: English, Spanish, French, Norwegian (Bokmål), Swedish.
Translation(s) in other languages: Arabic: عصفور القصب, Breton: Rouzegan, German: Rohrsänger, Esperanto: Kanbirdo, Hebrew: קנית, Lithuanian: Nendrinukės, Dutch: Karekiet, Russian: Настоящие камышовки, Finnish: Ruokokerttuset, Ukrainian: Справжня очеретянка.
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