A summer visitor to river banks and wetlands in the northwest of Switzerland. It has a characteristic wild song whose pattern is very hard to describe - have a listen.
All in Sylviidae
All Birds
REED WARBLER (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) Rousserolle effarvatte
A bird mostly confined to reed beds where it can be hard to see but is easily heard.
GREAT REED WARBLER (Acrocephalus arundinaceous) -Rousserolle turdoïde
A bird of the reed beds, for a warbler it is quite large and has a distinctive rough tone to its song.
SAVI’S WARBLER (Locustella luscinoides) - Locustelle luscinoïde
A shy bird of the reedbeds, difficult to see and difficult to hear as it sounds like an insect:
COMMON WHITETHROAT (Sylvia communis) - Fauvette grisette
A rather uncommon bird of scrubby vegetation. Not that hard to see, it gives a hurried little scratchy song often from an exposed perch.
GARDEN WARBLER (Sylvia borin) -Fauvette des jardins
The definitive “little brown job”, shy and hides and sings in dense vegetation. The song is hard to distinguish from Blackcap.
BLACKCAP (Sylvia atricapilla) - Fauvette à tête noire
A common bird of forests, scrub and mature gardens, difficult to see as it usually hides in dense vegetation. The black cap of the male is unmistakable. The song is rather rapid and scratchy, and easily confused with a Garden Warbler.
WOOD WARBLER (Phylloscopus sibilatrix) -Pouillot siffleur
A pretty little yellowish warbler of broad-leafed woodlands whose song heralds the arrival of spring.
CHIFF CHAFF (Phylloscopus collybita) - Pouillot véloce
A small warbler very similar to the Willow Warbler but with black legs not brown. But a very distinctive and pleasant song that bounces up and down.
WILLOW WARBLER (Phylloscopus trochilus) - Pouillot fitis
A small warbler very similar to the Chiff Chaff but with brown legs not black. But a very distinctive and pleasant song:
FIRECREST (Regulus ignicapillus) Roitelet triple-bandeau GOLDCREST (Regulus regulus) Roitelet huppé
Two small warblers very similar in appearance habits and sounds. This entry will help you identify them.