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New information on the Large-billed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orinus, including its song and breeding habitat in north-eastern Afghanistan
Abstract
We report in detail on the first well documented, probable breeding location of the Large-billed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orinus, found in north-east Afghanistan, give a description of its song and summarise its identification criteria using new information from live birds. Fifteen birds were captured and measured in the presumed breeding season, and later their identity was confirmed using DNA markers. In one of the localities visited many birds were singing. We also describe the habitat and assess some conservation issues.
... Although Timmins et al. (2010) presented a brief description of Large-billed Reed Warbler song, it was based on a single recording made in northern Afghanistan. So despite the expanding knowledge on its general biology, little is known about the vocalizations of Large-billed Reed Warblers. ...
... In this study, we compare the songs of Large-billed and Blyth's Reed Warblers. As mentioned by Timmins et al. (2010), songs of both species are composed of a series of stereotypic phrases, but the song of the Large-billed Reed Warbler is performed at a somewhat faster rate and lacks the short clicking elements that usually separate the adjoining phrases in the song of the Blyth's Reed Warbler. It is important that Timmins et al. (2010) used for comparison a recording of the 'northern' song of Blyth's Reed Warbler made in Sweden, on the northwest edge of its breeding range. ...
... As mentioned by Timmins et al. (2010), songs of both species are composed of a series of stereotypic phrases, but the song of the Large-billed Reed Warbler is performed at a somewhat faster rate and lacks the short clicking elements that usually separate the adjoining phrases in the song of the Blyth's Reed Warbler. It is important that Timmins et al. (2010) used for comparison a recording of the 'northern' song of Blyth's Reed Warbler made in Sweden, on the northwest edge of its breeding range. There are no doubts that Blyth's Reed Warblers are common in southern central Asia during spring migration, and during that time they perform a special 'southern' type of song (Ivanitskii et al. 2012). ...
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Capsule: Songs of Large-billed Reed Warblers Acrocephalus orinus and Blyth's Reed Warblers Acrocephalus dumetorum differed in quantitative parameters. Blyth's Reed Warbler used different modes of singing on breeding grounds and migration stopovers.
Aims: To compare the songs of two cryptic species of reed warblers. To compare Blyth's Reed Warbler songs in different parts of the breeding range and on migration stopovers in central Asia. To investigate the status of Blyth's Reed Warblers in central Asia.
Methods: We analysed song recordings of individual singing males and conducted field observations of singing behaviour at migration stopover and breeding sites. The status of Blyth's Reed Warblers in central Asia was reviewed from the historical Russian literature and other sources.
Results: We found differences between six out of eight variables in songs of Large-billed and Blyth's Reed Warblers on breeding sites. Blyth's Reed Warbler songs recorded on migration stopovers showed differences in five variables from Large-billed Reed Warblers and in six variables from breeding Blyth’s Reed Warblers. On migration stopovers, Blyth’s Reed Warblers sang actively but did not stay more than 1–2 days. The evidence suggests that Blyth’s Reed Warbler does not breed in central Asia.
Conclusion: Songs of Large-billed and Blyth’s Reed Warblers could be distinguished by quantitative analysis. Blyth’s Reed Warblers used different modes of singing on breeding sites and migration stopovers. We believe vocalizations of Blyth’s Reed Warblers on migration to be plastic song.
... The identification of uncaught birds was based on characteristic songs (Timmins et al. 2010, Ivanitskii et al. 2012). Recordings of songs of five marked males proved that the song described by Timmins et al. (2010) ...
... The identification of uncaught birds was based on characteristic songs (Timmins et al. 2010, Ivanitskii et al. 2012). Recordings of songs of five marked males proved that the song described by Timmins et al. (2010) ...
... Eurasian Reed Warbler has been found in Gorny Badakhshan and nearby Afghanistan, although it is not known to breed there ( Abdusalyamov 1973, Timmins et al. 2010. It has nests without the layer built with wool and seed tufts ( Kvartalnov et al. 2006), and eggs with bluish or olive-greenish basic shell colour, not white ( Nikiforov et al. 1989). ...
Large-billed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orinus has a limited distribution of the breeding grounds. It is known to inhabit valleys of the Panj
river and its tributaries in Gorny Barakhshan Autonomous Republic (Tajikistan) and Badakhshan province (Afghanistan). Here we give
descriptions of nests and eggs of this species based on 18 fresh nests found in Panj and Ghund valleys (Tajikistan) in 2011. Unlike closely
related species A. dumetorum and A. scirpaceus, Large-billed Reed Warbler has nests built with a layer of wool and seed tufts. Nests are
placed on twigs of sea-buckthorn, willow and other bushes, herbs and reed stems over dry soil. Large-billed Reed Warbler clutch size is
relatively small (on average, 3.77 ± 0.83 eggs (n = 13)). The ground colour of eggs is usually white, not bluish, greenish or rosy as in the
related species.
... Further studies of museum collections and searches for living individuals helped to elucidate possible breeding, moulting and wintering areas (Svensson et al. 2008Timmins et al. 2009;Ayé et al. 2010;Koblik et al. 2010Koblik et al. , 2011Kvartalnov and Garibmamadov 2012). The first and only brief description of large-billed reed warbler's song was made from a single short recording from north Afghanistan by Timmins et al. (2010). The main attention in this description was given to the qualitative comparison with a recording of Blyth's reed warbler. ...
... Previously, the song of the large-billed reed warbler was considered resembling most closely that of Blyth's reed warbler, mainly for the repetition of short phrases several times and the fairly slow general pace of the song (Timmins et al. 2010). Our research confirmed that syllables in A. orinus do repeat several times, but they do not necessarily include the clicking calls so characteristic of the syllables of A. dumetorum. ...
Among songbirds there are species with rich and variable repertoires and very complex sequences of sounds that are hard to analyse. Here, we investigate repertoire and syntax organization in the large-billed reed warbler advertising vocalization. We provide the first detailed qualitative and quantitative description of a song of a recently rediscovered species with the analysis of song syntax by clustering. The song of A. orinus combines discrete and continuous types of singing. Although the vocalization can be produced continuously for minutes without any significant pauses, it is easy to split it into distinctive songs using the criterion of 500 ms pause. Songs themselves are grouped into song classes. Both songs and song classes are unique to each individual, though several simple notes could be shared between males. Linear syntax is found both in sequences of syllables and in sequences of songs. Each song starts with initiator syllable types. We also discovered the presence of the transitional songs that sometimes separate songs from different classes in the vocal stream. The repertoire size in our sample varies from 69 to 147 syllable types and from 10 to 24 song classes, and does not depend on the duration of recording. Only one male’s repertoire was estimated entirely. This male was singing alone while other males sang in the presence of other individuals. We discuss how the presence of listeners may affect the repertoire and temporal and sequential organization of the song.
... Until recently, Acrocephalus orinus was only known from a single specimen collected in winter in India in 1867, and its validity as a species was controversial. A series of studies, and the surprise finding of a live individual in Thailand in March 2006, gradually led to the discovery of a breeding population at high elevation in north-eastern Afghanistan and adjacent Tajikistan, and has been found during the breeding season, and almost certainly also breeds, in Kyrgyzstan, eastern Uzbekistan and south-eastern Kazakhstan (Bensch and Pearson, 2002;Round et al., 2007;Pearson et al., 2008;Svensson et al., 2008Svensson et al., , 2010Timmins et al., 2010;Ayé et al., 2010;Koblik et al., 2011). ...
The systematics of the avian superfamily Sylvioidea are reviewed, focusing on studies of relationships among families and within genera, more superficially on taxonomic studies at the species level. For the families Bernieridae and Phylloscopidae, new analyses based on already published sequence data are presented. Our understanding of relationships has been vastly improved in recent years due to a large number of molecular studies. However, the relationships among the different families remain largely obscured, probably mainly as a result of rapid divergence of the different primary lineages (families). Also, species level taxonomy has been much improved in recent years due to a large number of studies applying molecular markers and/or vocalizations and other life-history data. It seems likely that the number of species will continue to increase, as new groups are being studied with modern integrative methods.
Jahan, I. 2015. Luscinia pectardens (p.150); Luscinia pectoralis (p.151); Locustella certhiola (p. 453); Locustella lanceolata (p. 454); Bradypterus thoracicus (p. 455); Bradypterus davidi (p. 456); Acrocephalus aedon (p. 457); Acrocephalus agricola (p. 458); Acrocephalus bistrigiceps (p. 459); Acrocephalus dumetorum (p. 460); Acrocephalus stentoreus (p. 462); Phylloscopus collybita (p. 465); Phylloscopus fuscatus (p. 466); Phylloscopus reguloides (p. 468); Muscicapa dauurica (p. 498); Muscicapa muttui (p. 499); Muscicapa sibirica (p. 500); Ficedula albicilla (p. 501); Ficedula hyperythra (p. 502); Ficedula westermanni (p. 503); Ficedula strophiata (p. 504); Ficedula tricolor (p. 505); Eumyias thalassina (p. 506); Luscinia brunnea (p. 513); Luscinia calliope (p. 514); Luscinia cyane (p. 515); Luscinia svecica (p. 516); Copsychus malabaricus (p. 517); Copsychus saularis (p. 518); Phoenicurus ochruros (p. 519); Chaimarrornis leucocephalus (p. 520); Rhyacornis fuliginosa (p. 521); Cinclidium leucurum (p. 522.); Enicurus immaculatus (p. 523); Myophonus caeruleus (p. 529); Zoothera citrine (p. 530.); Zoothera dauma (p. 531); Turdus dissimilis (p. 532); Turdus unicolor (p. 533); Zoothera marginata (p. 635). In: IUCN Bangladesh. Red List of Bangladesh Volume 3: Birds. IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Bangladesh Country Office, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Here we present the first record of Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus for the country of Afghanistan. A spec-imen was collected on May 29, 1967 in the vicinity of Bari Kowt (یرب )توك in the province of Kunar (.)ړنوک In addi-tion, a Hooded Wheatear Oenanthe monacha was collected on January 17, 1968 in the vicinity of Farah ()هارف in south-western Afghanistan. Hitherto the status of the species in Afghanistan is unclear. We describe both specimens and short-ly discuss the records.
V. V. Ivanitskii, P. V. Kvartalnov, I. M. Marova, V. V. Samotskaya, A. A. Bannikova. MODES OF STAY, VOCALIZATION PATTERNS AND MORPHOLOGICAL VARIABILITY OF BLYTH’S REED WARBLERS (ACROCEPHALUS DUMETORUM) IN CENTRAL ASIA. The modes of stay, vocalization patterns and morphological variability of Blyth’s reed warbler have been summarized over its whole distribution area. Special attention is paid to populations from southern Kazakhstan and Central Asia, where the pathways of migration of Blyth’s reed warbler are localized, its nesting is suggested, and the breeding of the large-billed reed warbler, a cryptic species discovered only recently, is also shown possible. Our field observations in central Tajikistan and the genetic identification of the individuals captured reveal that only migrating Blyth’s reed warblers occur in that area. They sing intensely at stop-overs, but their singing differs there in a number of features like a speedier emission of notes, their shorter duration and a greater variety, some also in a lower peak frequency (“southern” style). The song produced on breeding grounds is higher in frequency and formed by longer notes emitted with greater intervals and a lesser diversity (“northern” style). Although the “southern” style singing is distinguished by a random structure and a high variability, there are species-specific elements providing the correct identification of a songster. During the play-back experiments, males show a response to “southern” style vocalizations, but ignore the “northern” style singing. Of all known recordings of Blyth’s reed warbler from southern Kazakhstan and Central Asia, only the “southern” style singing has been tape-recorded. Together with no nests yet documented, this invites revision of the traditional views concerning the nesting of Blyth’s reed warbler in the region. Some distinctions in the vocalizations of Blyth’s and large-billed reed warblers are discussed.
We present compelling evidence of the continued existence of the large-billed reed warbler Acrocephalus orinus, hitherto known only from the unique type specimen collected in NW India 139 years ago. Morphological and genetic analyses of an unusual Acrocephalus warbler mist-netted south-west of Bangkok, Thailand, on 27 March 2006, confirmed its identity as A. orinus, and revealed that it was heterozygous at four out of eight microsatellite markers, indicating the continued existence of a viable population whose breeding and wintering areas are still unknown.
The avian taxa Cryptigata and Acanthopneuste have been treated either as subgenera within Phylloscopus (leaf-warblers), or as a distinct genus and an informal group, respectively. The circumscriptions of these taxa have varied between authors. We estimated the phylogeny, based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b and 12S genes and the nuclear myoglobin intron II, of all except two of the species placed in the Cryptigata and Acanthopneuste groups, as well as two recently described species and representatives of all subgenera and major clades in Phylloscopus and Seicercus recognized by previous studies. Neither Cryptigata nor Acanthopneuste is found to be monophyletic. The polytypic species P. reguloides and P. davisoni show deep divergences between some of their respective subspecies, and the latter species is non-monophyletic. We propose that the former be split into three species and the latter into two species. Seicercus xanthoschistos is nested in a clade that includes only Phylloscopus, and we recommend that it be placed in Phylloscopus. The rate of morphological divergence varies considerably among the taxa in this study. Our results emphasize the importance of dense taxon sampling in intrageneric phylogenetic studies.
We re-evaluate the characteristics of the little-known Large-billed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orinus based on plumage and biometrical comparisons of 10 newly discovered specimens of A. orinus with a large sample of Blyth’s Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum, the species most closely resembling A. orinus. Using specimens whose identity was verified by DNA analyses, we found that the most important criteria for identifying orinus are its long and comparatively broad bill, with typically uniformly dark upper mandible, and on average longer tarsi and claws with a thin and pointed hind claw. In contrast, previously suggested differences in wing formula, plumage colour and shape of flight-feathers are very minor, variable and seem of limited use for identification of orinus. Graphical analysis of hind claw length against bill to skull length should assist researchers in locating museum or live specimens of orinus that otherwise might be overlooked as dumetorum, and multivariate analysis unambiguously separates the two species based on our present dataset. A review of the scattered literature and specimen records suggests that the breeding distribution of orinus lies between southeastern Kazakhstan and northeastern Afghanistan, within the breeding range of dumetorum, but that orinus may well winter predominantly east of the main wintering range of dumetorum. Further evidence to support this assessment of the species' breeding range was obtained in June 2009, with the discovery of a population in the Pamir Mountains of Afghanistan.
The Large-billed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orinus is known only from the type specimen, collected in Himachal Pradesh, India, in 1867. The specimen is poorly prepared, and it has been suggested that it could represent an isolated form of the Clamorous Reed Warbler A. stentoreus or an aberrant Blyth’s Reed Warbler A. dumetorum. We tested the affinity of A. orinus by (1) re-examining the morphology of the type specimen and (2) amplifying and sequencing a portion of its mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Both the morphological and the mitochondrial analyses showed the specimen to be similar to dumetorum, but distinct enough to qualify as a species of its own. Relative to dumetorum, it has a more rounded wing, longer bill, longer and more graduated tail with more pointed tail feathers, and larger claws. The divergence in mitochondrial DNA between orinus and dumetorum was 7.8%, well above the value expected between subspecies. A. orinus is smaller than any of the forms of A. stentoreus or the related Australian Reed Warbler A. australis. It has a somewhat longer first primary, more pointed tail feathers and paler, less robust feet and claws. DNA comparison places it in the clade of small unstreaked Acrocephalus warblers, and apart from the clade of large unstreaked warblers that contains stentoreus and australis.
We here report the finding of ten new specimens of the poorly known large-billed reed warbler Acrocephalus orinus. Preliminary identifications were made on the basis of bill, tarsus and claw measurements, and their specific identity was then confirmed by comparison of partial sequences of the cytochrome b gene with a large data set containing nearly all other species in the genus Acrocephalus, including the type specimen of A. orinus. Five of the new specimens were collected in summer in Afghanistan and Kazakhstan, indicating that the species probably breeds in Central Asia, and the data and moult of the others suggest that the species migrates along the Himalayas to winter in N India and SE Asia. The population structure suggests a stable or shrinking population.