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Latin name

Cettia cetti

Family

Warblers and allies (Sylviidae)

Overview

A small, rather nondescript bird, Cetti's warbler (pronounced chetty) is a skulking bird and can prove very difficult to see. It usually makes its presence known with loud bursts of song and the first glimpse will probably be of a dark, rather stocky warbler with short wings and a full, rounded tail, diving for cover. It is one of the UK's most recent colonists, first breeding here in 1973.

Where to see them

Likes damp areas close to wetlands. Look for it at RSPB reserves at Radipole Lake and Lodmoor, Dorset; Exminster Marshes, Devon; Marazion Marsh, Cornwall; and Strumpshaw Fen, Norfolk.

When to see them

All year round.

What they eat

Insects and larvae.

Estimated numbers

* UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.

Distribution

In the UK

S and E England and S Wales.

Please note that the map is only intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.

Find out more

• Videos

Audio is from commercial recordings Bird Songs and Calls of Britain and Europe on 4 CDs or Bird Sounds of Europe & North-west Africa, copyright WildSounds & CEBA (www.wildsounds.com, (UK) +44 (0) 1263 741100)

1 illustration

Cetti's warbler

Similar birds

Nightingale

Reed warbler