From Opus

Photo by Rayh
Location: Spurn Point

Alternative name: Eurasian Chiffchaff

Phylloscopus collybita

Includes: Siberian Chiffchaff

[edit] Identification

10-12 cm

• Greenish olive-brown upperparts
• Off-white underpart
• Yellowish flanks
• Short white supercilium
• Fine dark bill and legs

[edit] Confusion Species

Chiffchaff on the left and Willow Warbler on the right
Photo by Steve G

See this discussion thread for differences between Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler.

[edit] Distribution

Breeds thoughout much of Europe and Asia, wintering in south and west Europe, southern Asia and northern Africa.

Very patchy distribution in Scotland.

[edit] Taxonomy

Six subspecies are recognized:^[1]

• P. c. abietinus:

• Scandinavia to Urals, Caucasus, Transcaucasia and northern Iran

• P. c. collybita:

• Denmark to Pyrénées, Poland and Romania; winters to northern Africa

• P. c. brevirostris:

• Highlands of western Turkey and Black Sea coastlands of northern Turkey

• P. c. caucasicus:

• East of range of brevirostris at lower elevations south to Armenia

• P. c. menzbieri:

• Mountains of north-eastern Iran, eastern Elburz and Khorasan mountains n to adjacent Turkmenia

• P. c. tristis:

• Ural Mountains to north-eastern Iran, northern India and Bangladesh

Tristis is sometimes accepted as full species, called Siberian Chiffchaff.
The Canary Islands Chiffchaff and the Iberian Chiffchaff have been considered conspecific with this species.

[edit] Habitat

Open woodlands, tall trees are required for singing in the breeding season. Low shrubs, brambles etc for nesting.

[edit] Behaviour

Flicks tail, downwards (this habit is not seen in Willow Warbler

[edit] Breeding

The female builds a domed nest with a side entrance, made from dead leaves and grass. Two to seven cream eggs with reddish-purple or blackish spots, are laid and incubated by the female for 13–14 days; the female cares for the young for about two weeks until they fledge.

[edit] Diet

The diet includes insects.

[edit] Vocalisation

Song: the most reliable way to distinguish from Willow Warbler. It sings its name chiff chaff, chiff chaff, though sometimes mixes up to chiff chiff, chaff, chaff.
Call: a soft wheett

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
3. Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
4. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
5. Wikipedia

[edit] References

Wikipedia

[edit] External Links