Species:

Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)

Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)

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Main Images:
Length (cm):
10-11
9-10
Wingspan (cm):
15-21
13-17
Weight (gram):
6-10
7-12
Size group:
Sparrow-size
Sparrow-size
Main Texts:
Appearance:

Olive green upperparts, yellowish chest with gradual transition to off-white belly. Very similar to Willow Warbler, and most field characters are subtle and often hard to see. Distinguished by (usually) black, or dark-brown legs, only faint dark framing to ear-coverts, less marked supercilium. Shorter primary projection (1/2 to 2/3'rds the lenght of tertials), with regularly spaced tips (visible when wing folded). Wings more fan-shaped and less pointed than in Willow Warbler. Juveniles much less yellow below than in W.Warbler. Generally leaves a duller and greyer impression than W. Warbler, but plumage very variable. Frequently flicks tail, even sideways. Generally also more active when moving among the foliage.

Sound:

Contact/alarm call a soft, plaintive ascending "hooeet". Similar to W.Warbler, but shorter with a monosyllabic feel. Song a very distinct: "chiff-chaff-chiff-chiff-chaff-chiff", in a regular clock-like rhythm. Each syllable at seemingly random pitch, but no large intervals tonally. Sometimes "get stuck" at one note.

Contact call, song:

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See sound file


Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Appearance:

Unmistakable. Very small, mouselike bird with short rounded wings, short neck and upright tail. Upperparts chestnut brown and finely barred. Underparts light buff. Forages in thick undergrowth and low bushes, crevices and holes for insects. Easily overlooked, but betrays its presence by its big voice. One of the smallest bird in northern Europe.

Sound:

Song surprisingly loud. A high-pitched stream of clear notes resembling Robin and Dunnock in timbre. Differs from those in showing frequent shifts in pitch with much larger register than Dunnock, and by the unique, numerous, interspersed long trills. Warning call a short hard "teck", like banging two rocks together. Often repeated in series when excited to form machine-gun-like "firing".

Alarm call, song:

Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file


Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Similar species (image):
Similar species (sound):
Silhouette Group:
Warbler-like
Silhouette
Warbler-like
Silhouette
Several different images of the species
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Several different sounds of the species
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Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file