SOFTBILLS
WHO has heard of the reed warbler? This little bird is probably quite familiar by name to the general public, yet far fewer people will be able to say that they have heard one and still fewer have actually seen one. Its “fame in name” is probably down to its remarkable nesting habits in reedbeds. Then again, this bird enjoys a dubious celebrity as a host bird for the cuckoo. And indeed the reed warbler is a common cuckoo host, though many other species are too: dunnocks, wagtails, redstarts, pipits and more.
