- Lifespan
- 5–8 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 12–13 cm, wingspan 17–19 cm; 9–14 g
- Habitat
- Reed beds and wetland habitats with dense reed growth, particularly in lowland areas near freshwater lakes, rivers, and marshes.
- UK Distribution
- Summer breeding visitor to southern and central England, Wales, and southern Scotland; arrives April–May and departs August–September. Rare or absent from northern Scotland.
- Diet
- Primarily small insects and invertebrates including aphids, flies, small beetles, and spiders; occasionally takes small caterpillars and other arthropods.
- Prey
- Small insects and spiders; not a significant predator
- Predators
- Sparrowhawks, hobbies, stoats, foxes, corvids (crows and jays), and water voles; eggs and chicks also taken by cuckoos (brood parasites)
- Mating Season
- April to August
- Breeding
- Clutch size 3–5 eggs, incubation period 11–12 days, fledging at 10–11 days. Typically one brood per season, occasionally two.
- Behaviour
- Highly vocal, particularly males, with a distinctive loud and varied song used to defend territory and attract mates. Skulking and elusive by nature, usually remaining hidden within dense reed beds. Males construct multiple 'dummy' nests woven between reed stems to display to females.