Common Chiffchaff

Common Chiffchaff

Phylloscopus collybita

Silhouette: Sharp Photography, sharpphotography.co.uk · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Rotterdam [The Hague]

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

567 Verified sightings at Rotterdam [The Hague]
16,418 In all 38 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Common Chiffchaff

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 →

Sounds

Song0:37

Sweden · 2026

© Lennart Jeppsson · XC1186649 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:32

Sweden · 2026

© Lars Edenius · XC1163262 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song1:01

Sweden · 2026

© David Gustafsson · XC1101897 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
~70%
2 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~70%
3 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~60%
4 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~60%
5 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
~60%
6 Hohe Tauern National Park 🇦🇹 Austria
~50%
7 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~50%
8 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~50%
9 Gauja National Park 🇱🇻 Latvia
~50%
10 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~40%
11 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~40%
12 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~40%
13 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~40%
14 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~40%
15 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
16 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
17 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~30%
18 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~30%
19 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
20 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~30%
21 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
22 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~30%
23 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
24 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
25 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~20%
26 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
27 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
28 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
~10%
29 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
30 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
31 Bale Mountains National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~10%
32 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
33 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
34 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
35 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
36 Langtang National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
37 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
38 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tehran 🇮🇷 Iran
~60%
2 Jerusalem 🇮🇱 Israel
~50%
3 Antalya 🇹🇷 Turkey
~50%
4 Beirut 🇱🇧 Lebanon
~50%
5 Ankara 🇹🇷 Turkey
~40%
6 Ramallah 🇵🇸 Palestine
~40%
7 Paris 🇫🇷 France
~40%
8 Istanbul 🇹🇷 Turkey
~40%
9 Athens 🇬🇷 Greece
~40%
10 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~40%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Common Chiffchaff in Rotterdam [The Hague]?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common Chiffchaff sighting in Rotterdam [The Hague] on a given day, based on 567 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 24th most-seen of the 175 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Common Chiffchaff in Rotterdam [The Hague]?

April and May

In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Common Chiffchaff in Rotterdam [The Hague] on a given day, against under 5% in November, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Common Chiffchaff?

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.

Is Rotterdam [The Hague] the best place to see a Common Chiffchaff?

29th of 119

Of the 119 cities where we can rate Common Chiffchaff sightings, Rotterdam [The Hague] ranks 29th at about 30%. The best odds are in Tehran (Iran, about 60%), Jerusalem (Israel, about 50%) and Antalya (Turkey, about 50%).

Where does the Common Chiffchaff sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Common Chiffchaff is recorded against all the birds logged in Rotterdam [The Hague] (567 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.

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