The grasshopper warbler is a secretive migratory bird of tangled scrub and wetland edges whose reeling song is heard less often as its UK population continues to decline.
Loss of rough scrubby habitats from agricultural intensification, bracken management and wetland drainage reduces nesting habitat. Early vegetation cutting in spring destroys nests before chicks have fledged. Their dense habitat makes welfare monitoring difficult but population declines indicate increasing pressure. Migration exposes birds to hunting and habitat loss in Africa.