Phylloscopus collybita
Silhouette: Sharp Photography, sharpphotography.co.uk · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
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 →
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common Chiffchaff sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 2,071 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 47th most-seen of the 285 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Common Chiffchaff in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to February, the lowest months. That is one of Wadden Sea National Park's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain against 140 mm in November.
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.
20th of 38
Of the 38 parks where we can rate Common Chiffchaff sightings, Wadden Sea National Park ranks 20th at about 30%. The best odds are in Tatra National Park (Slovakia, about 70%), Białowieża National Park (Poland, about 70%) and Triglav National Park (Slovenia, about 60%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Chiffchaff is recorded against all the birds logged in Wadden Sea National Park (2,071 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
