Common Chiffchaff look-alikes
Phylloscopus collybita
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Open the appSeveral birds can be mistaken for the Common Chiffchaff. Compare the key differences below to confirm your sighting.
Birds to compare
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilus
Key differences
The Willow Warbler is very similar in plumage but generally has paler, often yellowish-pink legs (though Chiffchaffs can also have pale legs), a longer, more prominent supercilium, and a slightly more elegant, elongated appearance. The most reliable distinction is the song: Willow Warbler has a beautiful, descending, fluting song, unlike the Chiffchaff's repetitive 'chiff-chaff'.
Wood Warbler
Phylloscopus sibilatrix
Key differences
The Wood Warbler is larger and brighter, with a striking lemon-yellow throat and breast contrasting with a white belly, and bright green upperparts. It has a prominent yellow supercilium and dark legs. Its song is a distinctive accelerating trill followed by a sighing 'swee-swee-swee'.
Bonelli's Warbler
Phylloscopus bonelli
Key differences
Bonelli's Warbler (now Western Bonelli's Warbler, P. bonelli, and Eastern Bonelli's Warbler, P. orientalis) has a plainer, greyer-green upperpart, whiter underparts, and a distinctive pale rump patch. Its legs are typically pale, and it lacks the yellowish wash often seen on Chiffchaffs. The song is a rapid, dry trill.
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