What they like

Reed. Lots of reed. Wet marsh edges, ditch banks, reedbeds along ponds. Likes to stay hidden, hunts in shallow water. Help them by leaving reed standing until late winter and not mowing everything “neatly.” In parks: make a pond with gentle banks and let bulrush, reed and yellow iris do their thing. On farms and farmland: widen ditch edges, choose wildlife-friendly banks and leave a scruffy strip of reed alone.

Ecological importance

The marsh’s top skulker. Eats mainly fish, frogs and large aquatic insects. Keeps aquatic life in balance and shows that the wetland is still intact. Is itself mainly taken by predators at the nest when reed is gone or water levels fluctuate.

When in the Netherlands

Primarily a breeding bird in reed marshes. Some stay, some migrate away. Most likely in spring and early summer — you often hear them before you see them.

Status

A rare breeding bird. Vulnerable due to drying out, overly strict water-level management and the loss of substantial reed belts.