Phylloscopus collybita
Silhouette: Sharp Photography, sharpphotography.co.uk · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The common chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita), or simply the chiffchaff, is a common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds in open woodlands throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic. It is a migratory passerine which winters in southern and western Europe, southern Asia and north Africa. Greenish-brown above and off-white below, it is named onomatopoeically for its simple chiff-chaff song. It has a number of subspecies, some of which are now treated as full species. The female builds a domed nest on or near the ground, and assumes most of the responsibility for brooding and feeding the chicks, whilst the male has little involvement in nesting, but defends his territory against rivals, and attacks potential predators.
A small insectivorous bird, it is subject to predation by mammals, such as cats and mustelids, and birds, particularly hawks of the genus Accipiter. Its large range and population mean that its status is secure, although one subspecies is probably extinct.
The British naturalist Gilbert White was one of the first people to separate the similar-looking common chiffchaff, willow warbler and wood warbler by their songs, as detailed in... Wikipedia →
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Chiffchaff sighting in New Delhi on a given day, based on 657 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 49th most-seen of the 248 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and February
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Chiffchaff in New Delhi on a given day, against under 5% in April to September, the lowest months. Those are among New Delhi's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 220 mm in July.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Chiffchaff sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
83rd of 119
Of the 119 cities where we can rate Common Chiffchaff sightings, New Delhi ranks 83rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Tehran (Iran, about 60%), Jerusalem (Israel, about 50%) and Antalya (Turkey, about 50%).
Same genus: Phylloscopus
The closest relatives of the Common Chiffchaff that you can see in New Delhi (genus Phylloscopus, Leaf Warblers) are Hume's Warbler (about 20%) and Greenish Warbler (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Chiffchaff is recorded against all the birds logged in New Delhi (657 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
