Acrocephalus gracilirostris
Lesser Swamp Warblers, as their name suggests, confine themselves to reedbeds and stands of bullrushes in a wide variety of wet habitats – marshes, estuaries, riversides and even man-made wetlands like sewage ponds. Here they feed on a wide range of invertebrates picked off the surface of the water or emergent plants.
Lesser Swamp Warblers are usually seen in pairs – they are monogamous and territorial. The female builds their conical nest using strands of reeds and other plant material, usually placing it in a well-vegetated thicket over the water. They breed through spring and summer. Both parents incubate the clutch of 2 or 3 eggs over a two week period and then feed the nestlings until they fledge about 2 weeks after hatching.
In South Africa, Lesser Swamp Warblers are found in suitable habitat throughout the country, having expanded their distribution even into arid areas thanks to artificial water bodies constructed on farms and for municipal water supply and waste water treatment. Aside from isolated populations in Nigeria and Tchad it occurs widely through the eastern, central and southern parts of the continent. The IUCN considers the Lesser Swamp Warbler to be of least concern.
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