Best time to see: all year

Key facts

Britain's only resident warbler, brownish and skulking, with a short explosive song

Breeding was first recorded in the 1970s and since then it has spread to 1000s of pairs today, in S. England and Wales

Found in damp areas close to wetlands, and along streams and dykes

Recognition

Stocky, dark brown bird with a pale front and a rounded tail; 14 cm

A skulking bird, usually singing its short, explosive song from deep cover; also sings overnight when breeding Play

Feeds mainly on insects, taken on or near the ground

Lifecycle

Nests beside water in dense vegetation

Lays two broods of 4–5 bright red eggs, May to June

Vulnerable to very cold winters, birds in East Anglia being virtually wiped out in the 1980s