Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinoides

Savi’s Warbler, Locustella luscinioides, is a secretive and localised summer migrant belonging to the family Locustellidae, and one of Britain’s rarest breeding birds. Adults are plain, unstreaked warm brown above with pale underparts – superficially similar to a Reed Warbler but stockier, with a more rounded tail – and are almost never seen clearly in the field. The species is best detected by its song: a deep, continuous reeling very similar to that of the Grasshopper Warbler but lower in pitch, delivered from deep within reedbed vegetation for extended periods. An obligate reedbed specialist, it requires extensive stands of tall, wet phragmites with open water. Suffolk holds exceptional significance for the species, with Lakenheath Fen RSPB reserve representing one of its most reliable and important British breeding sites. Image: © Sergey Yeliseev, Flickr.

Find out more: RSPB, iNaturalist