Chiffchaff
The (Common) Chiffchaff is a common and widespread leaf warbler which is named onomatopoeically for its simple and repetitive chiff-chaff song.
The British naturalist Gilbert White was one of the first people to separate the similar looking Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Wood Warbler by their songs, as detailed in 1789 in “The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne.
The Chiffchaff is a small, dumpy, 4 inch long leaf warbler. The spring adult has brown-washed dull green upperparts, off-white underparts becoming yellowish on the flanks and a short whitish supercilium. It has dark legs, a fine dark bill and short primary projection (extension of the flight feathers beyond the folded wing). As the plumage wears, it gets duller and browner and the yellow on the flanks tends to be lost and after the breeding season there is a prolonged complete moult before migration. After moulting, both the adult and the juvenile have brighter and greener upperparts and a paler supercilium.
When not singing, the Chiffchaff can be difficult to distinguish from other leaf warblers with greenish upperparts and whitish underparts, particularly the Willow Warbler. However, that species has a longer primary projection, a sleeker, brighter appearance and generally pale legs.
The Chiffchaff breeds across Europe and Asia east to eastern Siberia and north to about 70°N, with isolated populations in north west Africa, north and west Turkey and north west Iran. It is a migratory species but one of the first passerine birds to return to its breeding areas in the spring and amongst the last to leave in late autumn. When breeding, the Chiffchaff is a bird of open woodlands with some taller trees and ground cover for nesting purposes. In winter, the Chiffchaff uses a wider range of habitats and is not so dependent on trees and is often found near water. There is an increasing tendency to winter in western Europe well north of the traditional areas, especially in coastal south England and the mild urban microclimate of London.
The male Chiffchaff returns to its breeding territory 2 or 3 weeks before the female and immediately starts singing to establish ownership and attract a female. When a female is located, the male will use a slow butterfly-like flight as part of the courtship ritual but, once a pair-bond has been established, other females will be driven from the territory.
The male has little involvement in the nesting process other than defending the territory. The female's nest is built on or near the ground in a concealed site in brambles, nettles or other dense low vegetation. The domed nest has a side entrance and is constructed from coarse plant material such as dead leaves and grass with finer material used on the interior before the addition of a lining of feathers.
The clutch is 2 to 7 (normally 5 or 6) cream-coloured eggs which are incubated by the female for 13 to 14 days before hatching as naked, blind chicks. The female broods and feeds the chicks for another 14 to 15 days until they fledge. The male rarely participates in feeding although this sometimes occurs, especially when bad weather limits insect supplies or if the female disappears. After fledging, the young stay in the vicinity of the nest for 3 to 4 weeks where they are fed by and roost with the female. In the north of the range there is only time to raise one brood due to the short summer but a second brood is common in central and southern areas.
Like most leaf warblers, the Chiffchaff is insectivorous and moves restlessly though foliage or briefly hovering. It has been recorded as taking insects, mainly flies, from more than 50 families, along with other small and medium-sized invertebrates. It will also take the eggs and larvae of butterflies and moths. The Chiffchaff has been estimated to require about one third of its weight in insects daily and it feeds almost continuously in the autumn to put on extra fat as fuel for its long migration flight.
As with most small birds, mortality in the first year of life is high but adults aged 3 to 4 years are regularly recorded and the record is more than 7 years. Eggs, chicks and fledglings are taken by Stoats, Weasels and crows such as the Magpie and adults are hunted by birds of prey, particularly the Sparrowhawk. The Chiifchaff is also susceptible to poor weather, particularly when migrating, but also on the breeding and wintering grounds. The main effect of humans on the Chiffchaff is indirect through woodland clearance which affects the habitat, predation by cats and collisions with windows, buildings and cars.
Date: 31st March 2021
Location: Noak Bridge Nature Reserve, Noak Bridge, Essex
The British naturalist Gilbert White was one of the first people to separate the similar looking Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Wood Warbler by their songs, as detailed in 1789 in “The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne.
The Chiffchaff is a small, dumpy, 4 inch long leaf warbler. The spring adult has brown-washed dull green upperparts, off-white underparts becoming yellowish on the flanks and a short whitish supercilium. It has dark legs, a fine dark bill and short primary projection (extension of the flight feathers beyond the folded wing). As the plumage wears, it gets duller and browner and the yellow on the flanks tends to be lost and after the breeding season there is a prolonged complete moult before migration. After moulting, both the adult and the juvenile have brighter and greener upperparts and a paler supercilium.
When not singing, the Chiffchaff can be difficult to distinguish from other leaf warblers with greenish upperparts and whitish underparts, particularly the Willow Warbler. However, that species has a longer primary projection, a sleeker, brighter appearance and generally pale legs.
The Chiffchaff breeds across Europe and Asia east to eastern Siberia and north to about 70°N, with isolated populations in north west Africa, north and west Turkey and north west Iran. It is a migratory species but one of the first passerine birds to return to its breeding areas in the spring and amongst the last to leave in late autumn. When breeding, the Chiffchaff is a bird of open woodlands with some taller trees and ground cover for nesting purposes. In winter, the Chiffchaff uses a wider range of habitats and is not so dependent on trees and is often found near water. There is an increasing tendency to winter in western Europe well north of the traditional areas, especially in coastal south England and the mild urban microclimate of London.
The male Chiffchaff returns to its breeding territory 2 or 3 weeks before the female and immediately starts singing to establish ownership and attract a female. When a female is located, the male will use a slow butterfly-like flight as part of the courtship ritual but, once a pair-bond has been established, other females will be driven from the territory.
The male has little involvement in the nesting process other than defending the territory. The female's nest is built on or near the ground in a concealed site in brambles, nettles or other dense low vegetation. The domed nest has a side entrance and is constructed from coarse plant material such as dead leaves and grass with finer material used on the interior before the addition of a lining of feathers.
The clutch is 2 to 7 (normally 5 or 6) cream-coloured eggs which are incubated by the female for 13 to 14 days before hatching as naked, blind chicks. The female broods and feeds the chicks for another 14 to 15 days until they fledge. The male rarely participates in feeding although this sometimes occurs, especially when bad weather limits insect supplies or if the female disappears. After fledging, the young stay in the vicinity of the nest for 3 to 4 weeks where they are fed by and roost with the female. In the north of the range there is only time to raise one brood due to the short summer but a second brood is common in central and southern areas.
Like most leaf warblers, the Chiffchaff is insectivorous and moves restlessly though foliage or briefly hovering. It has been recorded as taking insects, mainly flies, from more than 50 families, along with other small and medium-sized invertebrates. It will also take the eggs and larvae of butterflies and moths. The Chiffchaff has been estimated to require about one third of its weight in insects daily and it feeds almost continuously in the autumn to put on extra fat as fuel for its long migration flight.
As with most small birds, mortality in the first year of life is high but adults aged 3 to 4 years are regularly recorded and the record is more than 7 years. Eggs, chicks and fledglings are taken by Stoats, Weasels and crows such as the Magpie and adults are hunted by birds of prey, particularly the Sparrowhawk. The Chiifchaff is also susceptible to poor weather, particularly when migrating, but also on the breeding and wintering grounds. The main effect of humans on the Chiffchaff is indirect through woodland clearance which affects the habitat, predation by cats and collisions with windows, buildings and cars.
Date: 31st March 2021
Location: Noak Bridge Nature Reserve, Noak Bridge, Essex
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