The marsh warbler, who’s known for imitating 200 different species of birds, has been named as Bird of the Year 2023 by BirdLife Switzerland.
The bird is a medium-sized warbler and is smaller than a sparrow.
Its song allows it to be recognised from afar, especially when it calls out at dusk and at night.
Not only does it emit an almost uninterrupted stream of hissing and clicking sounds but it can also mimic more than 200 different bird species, not just Swiss birds but also songs of those from south-east Africa, where it overwinters.
The marsh warbler arrives in Switzerland in May and colonizes wetlands with dense vegetation and nests in ditches or near lakes. However, its habitat here is increasingly threatened.
Birdlife says that, over the past 150 years, more than 90% of Switzerland's wetlands have been drained and destroyed.
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