Spatial distribution of four Acrocephalus warblers in reedbeds during the post-breeding migration

Abstract

Vertical and horizontal distribution, together with some aspects of local movements, were studied in Acrocephalus scirpaceus, A. schoenobaenus, A. palustris, and A. arundinaceus in a reed-bed near Ostrava, the Czech Republic, during the post-breeding season. We recorded significant differences in the horizontal distributions of all the species studied. In general, these were consistent with the demands of these species during the breeding season. We observed high similarity amongst the studied species for vertical distribution, with the majority of the birds captured in the central shelves of the mist-nets. We found some evidence, that the birds tended to move in a certain direction, significantly so in two species, perhaps due to local features. © 1997 British Trust for Ornithology.