Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)

OTHER NAMES: Chiffchaff

Latin Etymology: Phylloscopus ("leaf seaker") collybita ("money-changer")

Adult Common Chiffchaff (subspecies P. c. collybita) at Trevose Head, Cornwall - April 2015

Featured Subspecies: Phylloscopus collybita collybita
Weight: 6-10g  /  Length: 10-11cm  /  Wingspan: 15-21cm
UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Chiffchaff is one of the UK's commoner warblers, and one of the few that can regularly be found all year round, although mostly in the Summer. It is visually almost identical to the Willow Warbler, but can be most easily differentiated by it's namesake and very distinctive "chiff-chaff" song. Common and widespread, it will in all likelihood be one of the easiest warblers to find, although it's drab colouration makes it difficult to pick out some of the time.  

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Phylloscopidae
Genus: Phylloscopus
Subspecies: P. c. abietinus, P. c. collybita, P. c. brevirostris, P. c. caucasicus, P. c. menzbieri, P. c. tristis 

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Common Summer migrant breeding species (1,200,000 territories) and scarce Wintering bird Visitor (500-1000 birds)

 - Seen at various sites including Rutland Water, Trevose Head, Rainham Marshes, and Geddington.

SPAIN - Spanish - Mosquitero común ("Common Mosquito-catcher")

Common resident.

 - SEVILLE 2011 TRIP: Several seen around Seville

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Several seen at El Pardo.    

Further Information: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto