It breeds from northeast European Russia across the Palearctic to northern Hokkaidō, Japan.

[3] The specific lanceolata is Latin for "spear-shaped" and refers to the streaks on the breast.

[2] This small passerine bird is a species found in grassland with some thicker shrubby vegetation or trees, often close to water in bogs or wet clearings.

One of the best places to see this skulking species as a vagrant is Fair Isle, Shetland.

The song is a monotonous mechanical insect-like reeling as in other species in the group, often given at dusk.