Territorial spacing and interspecific competition in three species of reed warblers

Examined great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus, reed warbler A. scirpaceus and moustached warbler A. melanopogon. Seasonal changes in the occurrence of territorial males in a reed bed along a gradient from the shore landward were studied. Intra- and interspecific spacing depends on interspecific dominance and/or ecological constraints. There is competition for common habitats between reed warblers and greet reed warblers, whereas moustached warbler is ecologically segregated. Territorial spacing might function to reduce nest predation. -from Authors