The Tuamotu Reed Warbler is a reed-warbler of the Tuamotu Islands. Plumage and body form vary among islands, and it feeds on small insects.
Even populations on low atolls differ in plumage and body form among islands. On Anaa, the study recorded gray birds as well as individuals with brown, rufous, or white feathers.
In an island comparison, Tuamotu Reed Warblers from Makatea stood out for their larger bodies and longer bills. Among live birds measured between December 2004 and February 2008, mean bill length was 29.7 mm for 20 Makatea males, compared with 23.2 mm for 18 Anaa males and 23.0 mm for 20 Niau males. These lengths were measured from the bill tip to the skull. Populations differing in body size occurred among the islands occupied by this species.
Published in 2011, the study analysed 163 live males separately from 180 male museum specimens. Combined comparisons of wing, bill, leg and other measurements placed Makatea birds in a distinct cluster in both datasets. Anaa and Niau birds were both small, and their live bill lengths did not differ significantly in this analysis. Within the same archipelago, some island populations stood apart while others overlapped in their measurements.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
SOP Manu, the Polynesian bird conservation organisation, reports declines on heavily modified islets and the disappearance of Tuamotu Reed Warblers from some islands. Its recommended conservation measure is to stop burning vegetation beneath coconut plantations, preserving both the bird’s habitat and its insect prey.