A large reed warbler that lives in wetlands. In Britain, its loud song can help observers find birds arriving during spring passage.
It is a large warbler with a brown back and pale underparts.
Researchers studied a Great Reed Warbler population heavily parasitized by Common Cuckoos. In colder springs, the warblers began breeding later and their nesting was more synchronized than in warmer springs. The study followed one breeding population.
Breeding synchrony did not significantly change the proportion of nests parasitized by cuckoos. The authors suggest that high cuckoo density may affect how useful synchronized breeding is as a defense. The result challenges a common expectation for this heavily parasitized population.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
At the study site, colder springs delayed and synchronized Great Reed Warbler breeding, but synchrony did not significantly affect the proportion of cuckoo-parasitized nests. In this heavily parasitized population, timing alone did not explain nest outcomes.