- Lifespan
- 2–3 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 12–13 cm, wingspan 13–15 cm; 12–15 g
- Habitat
- Dense, low vegetation including reed beds, wet grassland, bramble scrub, and young conifer plantations.
- UK Distribution
- Summer breeding visitor to southern and central England, Wales, and occasionally Scotland; arrives April–May and departs August–September.
- Diet
- Primarily small insects and their larvae, including grasshoppers, crickets, and spiders; feeds on invertebrates gleaned from vegetation.
- Prey
- Grasshoppers, crickets, small beetles, flies, spiders, and insect larvae
- Predators
- Sparrowhawks, kestrels, and corvids such as jays and magpies; eggs and chicks vulnerable to hedgehogs and rodents.
- Mating Season
- April to July
- Breeding
- Clutch of 4–6 eggs, incubation period 11–13 days, fledging at 10–12 days; typically one brood per season.
- Behaviour
- Males produce a distinctive continuous, insect-like reeling song delivered from concealed perches, particularly at dusk and dawn; highly secretive and difficult to observe. Skulks in dense vegetation and rarely ventures into open ground.