The common chiffchaff is a medium-sized warbler. It has a wide range with up to 120 million birds in Europe alone. It gets its name from its distinctive, repetitive “chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff” song, which is one of the first signs that spring has arrived. Its song and its dark legs distinguish it from the willow warbler with which it can often be confused.
Breeding pairs: 1,200,000 territories
Wintering birds: 500 – 1,000
Family: Leaf warblers
The chiffchaff is a medium sized bird with olive-green and brown upperparts. Its flight feathers and tail are brown with olive-green fringes.The underparts are white or very pale yellow, and the flanks and breast are darker yellow with streaks.
The head is olive-brown and there ia a white eye-ring and a dark brown eye stripe.The thin, pointed bill is dark brown or black, the eyes are dark brown, and the legs and feet are black. During winter, its plumage gets thicker giving the chiffchaff a plumper appearance. Both sexes look similar although the female is slightly smaller than the male.
The juvenile has grey-brown upperparts and pale yellow underparts, with a buff wash on the throat and breast.
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The chiffchaff breeds from April to early August and produces 1 or 2 broods a year. The nest is situated on the ground concealed in thick vegetation. It is built mainly by the female, and is a ball-shaped structure made from dry grasses, leaves, moss, and feathers.
The chiffchaff lays 5-6 smooth, glossy, white eggs with purple markings which are incubated by the female alone for 13-15 days. The chicks are fed mostly by the female and fledge the nest 2 weeks after hatching. They become fully independent after another 10-20 days and reach sexual maturity at 1 year.
The chiffchaff is mostly insectivorous with a diet consisting of insects, caterpillars, aphids, grasshoppers, butterflies and moths, and occassionally slugs and snails. It searches for insects on the underside of leaves that are feeding on the plant’s sap.
In autumn and winter, it will supplement its diet with seeds and berries.
Chiffchaffs can be seen across the the UK except the far north of Scotland. Migrating birds arrive in March and depart in September, but some stay all year round, so they can be seen in winter too.
Look out for them in woodlands, hedgerows, reedbeds, willow thickets close to water, and parks and gardens with plenty of trees.
Britain's Birds
RSPB Handbook Of British Birds
Collins Bird Guide
Chiffchaffs only sing in trees that are more than 5 m high.
