Common Chiffchaff: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Mikhail Ezdakov · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Phylloscopus collybita
- Family
- Leaf Warblers
- Size
- About 11 cm
- Habitat
- Woodland, parks and gardens with trees
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia and North America
The key marks
Small olive-brown leaf warbler with dark legs, short wings and a habit of dipping its tail; says its name in song. Willow Warbler has pale pinkish-brown legs, longer wings and a sweet, descending song.
Voice
The song is its name: 'tjif-tjaf-tjif-tjaf'; call a soft 'hweet'.
Good to know
More and more chiffchaffs stay the winter in the Netherlands instead of flying south.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Willow Warbler. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in woodland, parks and gardens with trees. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.