Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) -> Lesser Black-backed Gull (Phylloscopus collybita) - BirdID's Bird Guide - Nord University

Species:

Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)

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Glaucous Gull

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Willow Warbler

Iceland Gull

Length (cm):

10-11

52-64

Wingspan (cm):

15-21

117-134

Weight (gram):

6-10

620-1000

Size group:

Sparrow-size

Bigger than a crow

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:

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

Appearance:

Yellow legs, black to dark grey back (regional variations) and black primaries with only small white spots. Generally more slender than Herring Gull and Great Black-backed, with longer and more narrow wings, and longer legs. Winter plumage with streaked head and neck. Underside of flight feathers smoky grey. Juveniles very variable, but generally darker than Herring Gulls. Young birds with completely dark inner primaries and broad terminal band to tail.

Sound:

Very similar to Herring Gull, but tone more nasal.