Editing Common chiffchaff

{{short description|Small migratory passerine bird found in Europe, Asia and north Africa }}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{speciesbox
| name = Common chiffchaff
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International. |year=2019 |title=''Phylloscopus collybita'' |page=e.T103843725A155613186 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T103843725A155613186.en |access-date=7 October 2021}}</ref>
| image = Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybita.jpg
| image_upright = 1.1
| image_caption = 
[[File:Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) (W1CDR0001497 BD9).ogg|thumb|center|Typical song, recorded in the United Kingdom in 1977]]
| genus = Phylloscopus
| species = collybita
| authority = ([[Louis Pierre Vieillot|Vieillot]], 1817)
| range_map = Phylloscopus collybita.png
| range_map_upright = 1.1
| range_map_caption = <div style="text-align: left;">{{olist
    |Breeding; summer only
    |Breeding; small numbers also wintering
    |Breeding; also common in winter
    |Non-breeding winter visitor
    |Localised non-breeding winter visitor in suitable habitat only (oases, irrigated crops)
    }}</div>
}}

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 [[bird migration|migratory]] [[passerine]] which winters in southern and western Europe, southern [[Asia]] and north [[Africa]]. Greenish-brown above and off-white below, it is named [[onomatopoeia|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 [[territory (animal)|his territory]] against rivals, and attacks potential predators.

A small [[insectivore|insectivorous bird]], it is subject to predation by mammals, such as cats and [[mustelidae|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.

==Taxonomy==
[[File:Zingende tjiftjaf-4961905.webm|left|thumb]]
The [[Great Britain|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 1789 in ''[[The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne]]'',<ref name= white>{{ cite book | last=White | first=Gilbert | author-link=Gilbert White | date=1789 | title=The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, in the County of Southampton | location=London | publisher=Printed by T. Bensley, for B. White and Son | pages=44–45 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/47944950 }}</ref>  but the common chiffchaff was first formally described as ''Sylvia collybita'' by [[France|French]] [[ornithology|ornithologist]] [[Louis Pierre Vieillot]] in 1817 in his ''Nouveau Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle''.<ref name= viellot>{{ cite book | last=Vieillot | first=Louis Pierre | author-link=Louis Pierre Vieillot | year=1817 | title=Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle, appliquée aux arts, à l'agriculture, à l'économie rurale et domestique, à la médecine, etc. | edition=Nouvelle édition | volume=11 | location=Paris | publisher=Deterville |page=235 | doi=10.5962/bhl.title.20211 | language=French | url=http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/19427951 }}</ref> The [[type locality (biology)|type locality]] is the French region of [[Normandy]].<ref>{{ cite book | editor1-last=Mayr | editor1-first=Ernst | editor1-link=Ernst Mayr | editor2-last=Cottrell | editor2-first=G. William | year=1986 | title=Check-list of Birds of the World | volume=11 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=229 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14483930 }}</ref>

Described by German zoologist [[Friedrich Boie]] in 1826,<ref>{{ cite journal | last=Boie | first=Friedrich | author-link=Friedrich Boie | year=1826 | title=Generalübersicht der ornithologischen Ordnungen Familien und Gattugen | journal=Isis von Oken | volume=19 | at=col. 972 | language=de | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27511177 }}</ref> the genus ''[[Phylloscopus]]'' contains about 80 species of small insectivorous Old World woodland warblers which are either greenish or brown above and yellowish, white or buff below. The genus was formerly part of the [[Old World warbler]] family Sylvidae, but has now been split off as a separate family Phylloscopidae.<ref name=alstrom>{{Cite journal | last1 = Alström | first1 = Per | last2 = Ericson | first2 = Per G.P. | last3 = Olsson | first3 = Urban | last4 = Sundberg | first4 = Per | year = 2006 | title = Phylogeny and classification of the avian superfamily Sylvioidea | journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | pmid = 16054402 | volume = 38 | issue = 2| pages = 381–397 | doi = 10.1016/j.ympev.2005.05.015 | bibcode = 2006MolPE..38..381A }}</ref> The chiffchaff's closest relatives, other than former [[subspecies]], are a group of leaf warblers which similarly lack crown stripes, a yellow rump or obvious wing bars; they include the willow, Bonelli's, wood and [[plain leaf warbler]]s.<ref name= Baker/>

An old synonym, used for the chiffchaff was ''Phylloscopus rufus'' (Bechstein).<ref name=rufus>For instance in: {{cite encyclopedia |title=Birds |encyclopedia=The Victoria History of the County of Buckinghamshire |volume=1 |author=Rothschild, Walter |editor=Page, William Henry |date=1905 |page=[[:s:en:Page:VCH Buckinghamshire 1.djvu/176|132]]}}</ref>

The common chiffchaff has three still commonly accepted subspecies, together with some from the [[Iberian Peninsula]], the [[Canary Islands]], and the [[Caucasus]] which are now more often treated as full species.<ref name= ClementHelbig1998>{{Cite journal | last1 = Clement | first1 = P. | last2 = Helbig | first2 = Andreas J. | year = 1998 | title = Taxonomy and identification of chiffchaffs in the Western Palearctic | journal =British Birds | volume = 91 | pages = 361–376 }}</ref><ref name = Sangster2002>{{Cite journal | last1 = Sangster | first1 = George | last2 = Knox | first2 = Alan G. | last3 = Helbig | first3 = Andreas J. | last4 = Parkin | first4 = David T. | year = 2002 | title = Taxonomic recommendations for European birds | journal = [[Ibis (journal)|Ibis]] | volume = 144 | issue = 1| pages = 153–159 | doi = 10.1046/j.0019-1019.2001.00026.x }}</ref>

===Subspecies===
[[File:Spectrogramcollybita2.jpg|thumb|Sketch [[spectrogram]]s comparing calls of, from left to right, the subspecies ''collybita'', ''abietinus'' and ''tristis'']]
*''P. c. collybita'', the nominate form, breeds in Europe east to [[Poland]] and [[Bulgaria]], and is described below. It mainly winters in the south of its breeding range around the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] and in [[North Africa]].<ref name= Baker>{{cite book | last = Baker | first = Kevin |title = Warblers of Europe, Asia and North Africa (Helm Identification Guides) | year = 1997 | publisher = Helm| isbn =978-0-7136-3971-1 |pages = 256–259 | location = London| title-link = Helm Identification Guides }}</ref> It has been expanding its range northwards into Scandinavia since 1970 and close to the southern edge of the range of ''P. c. abietinus''.<ref name=Hanson>{{cite journal|last=Hansson|first=MC|author2=Bensch, S |author3=Brännström, O | url= http://lup.lub.lu.se/record/145893|title=Range expansion and the possibility of an emerging contact zone between two subspecies of Chiffchaff ''Phylloscopus collybita ssp'' |year=2000 |journal = Journal of Avian Biology |volume=31|issue=4|pages=548–558 | doi=10.1034/j.1600-048X.2000.1310414.x }}</ref>
*''P. c. abietinus'' occurs in [[Scandinavia]] and northern [[Russia]], and winters from southeastern Europe and northeastern Africa east to [[Iraq]] and western [[Iran]]. It is intermediate in appearance between ''P. c. tristis'' and ''P. c. collybita'', being grey-washed olive-green above with a pale yellow [[supercilium]], and underparts whiter than in ''P. c. collybita'',{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=16–18}} but it has very similar vocalisations to the nominate subspecies.<ref name= Baker/> Due to individual variation, it can be difficult to reliably separate ''P. c. abietinus'' and ''P. c. collybita'' outside their main breeding and wintering ranges.{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=16–18}} Some common chiffchaffs in the Middle East are browner and have a more disyllabic ''swee-hu'' call than ''P. c. abietinus'', and may belong to a poorly known taxon "''brevirostris''";<ref name= dubois2008>{{Cite journal | last1 = Dubois | first1 = Phillipe | last2 = Duquet | first2 = M. | year = 2008 | title = Further thoughts on Siberian Chiffchaffs | journal = British Birds | volume = 101 | pages = 149–150 }}</ref> further research is needed to clarify the affinities of this form.<ref name= dubois2010>{{Cite journal | last1 = Dubois | first1 = Phillipe | year = 2010 | title = Presumed 'brevirostris'-type Common Chiffchaffs wintering in Jordan | journal = British Birds | volume = 103 | pages = 406–407 }}</ref>
*''P. (c.) tristis'', the '''[[Siberian chiffchaff]]''', breeds in [[Siberia]] east of the [[Pechora River]] and winters in the lower [[Himalayas]].<ref name=Baker/> It is also regularly recorded in western Europe in winter, and it is likely that the numbers involved have been underestimated due to uncertainties over identification criteria, lack of good data and recording policies (Sweden and Finland only accept trapped birds).<ref name= dean8>{{Cite journal | last1 = Dean | first1 = Alan | last2 = Bradshaw | first2 = Colin | last3 = Martin | first3 = John | last4 = Stoddart | first4 = Andy | last5 = Walbridge | first5 = Grahame | year = 2010 | title = The status in Britain of 'Siberian Chiffchaff' | journal = British Birds | volume = 103 | pages = 320–337 }}</ref> It is a dull subspecies, grey or brownish above and whitish below, with little yellow in the plumage, and the buff-white supercilium is often longer than in the western subspecies. It has a higher pitched ''suitsistsuisit'' song and a short high-pitched ''cheet'' call.{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=18–20}} It is sometimes considered to be a full species due to its distinctive plumage and vocalisations, being similar to ''P. s. sindianus'' in these respects.<ref name = Martens1983/><ref name= Helbig1996>{{Cite journal | last1 = Helbig | first1 = Andreas J. | last2 = Martens | first2 = Jochen | last3 = Seibold | first3 = I. | last4 = Henning | first4 = F. | last5 = Schottler | first5 = B | last6 = Wink | first6 = Michael | year = 1996 | title = Phylogeny and species limits in the Palearctic Chiffchaff ''Phylloscopus collybita'' complex: mitochondrial genetic differentiation and bioacoustic evidence | url = http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/fak14/ipmb/phazb/pubwink/1996/13_1996.pdf | journal = [[Ibis (journal)|Ibis]] | volume = 138 | issue = 4| pages = 650–666 | doi = 10.1111/j.1474-919X.1996.tb04767.x}}</ref> Nominate ''P. c. collybita'' and ''P. c. tristis'' do not recognize each other's songs.<ref name=Schubert>{{cite journal | last1 = Schubert | first1 = M | year = 1982 | title = Zur Lautgebung mehrerer zentralasiatischer Laubsänger-Arten (''Phylloscopus''; Aves, Sylviidae) | journal = Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum Berlin | volume = 58 | pages = 109–128 |language=de}}</ref><ref name = MartensMeincke1989>{{cite journal | last1 = Martens | first1 = Jochen | last2 = Meincke | first2 = C | year = 1989 | title = Der sibirische Zilpzalp (''Phylloscopus collybita tristis''): Gesang und Reaktion einer mitteleuropäischen Population im Freilandversuch | journal = Journal für Ornithologie | volume = 130 | issue = 4| pages = 455–473 | doi = 10.1007/BF01918465 | s2cid = 25216705 |language=de}}</ref> Pending resolution of the status of ''P. (c.) fulvescens'', which is found where the ranges of ''P. c. abietinus'' and ''P. c. tristis'' connect and may<ref name= Marova>{{cite journal | last1 = Marova | first1 = I. M. | last2 = Leonovich | first2 = V. V. | year = 1993 | title = [Hybridization between Siberian (''Phylloscopus collybita tristis'') and East European (''Ph. collybita abietinus'') Chiffchaffs in the area of sympatry.] | journal = Sbornik Trudov Zoologicheskogo Muzeya, Moskovskogo Gosudarstvennogo Universiteta | volume = 30 | pages = 147–163 |language=ru}}</ref> or may not<ref name = MartensMeincke1989/> be a hybrid between these, ''tristis'' is maintained in ''P. collybita''.<ref name = Sangster2002/>
[[File:Common Chiffchaff Khangchendzonga National Park West Sikkim India 30.03.2016.jpg|thumb|left|''Phylloscopus collybita tristis'' From [[Khangchendzonga National Park]], [[West Sikkim]], [[India]].]]

===Former subspecies===
* ''P. ibericus'', the '''[[Iberian chiffchaff]]''' is brighter, greener on the rump, and yellower below than ''P. collybita'',<ref name= Baker/> and has a ''{{not a typo|tit-tit-tit-tswee-tswee}}'' song. It was initially named ''P. brehmii'', but the [[type (biology)|type specimen]] of that [[taxon]] is not an Iberian chiffchaff.<ref name= Iberian>{{cite journal|last= Svensson |first= Lars|year=2001 |title= The correct name of the Iberian Chiffchaff ''Phylloscopus ibericus'' Ticehurst 1937, its identification and new evidence of its winter grounds |journal= Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club|volume= 121|pages= 281–296 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40086550 }}</ref> This species is found in [[Portugal]] and [[Spain]], west of a line stretching roughly from the western [[Pyrenees]]<ref name =Salomon1989>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1163/156853989X00709 | last1 = Salomon | first1 = Marc | year = 1989 | title = Song as a possible reproductive isolating mechanism between two parapatric forms. The case of the chiffchaffs ''Phylloscopus c. collybita'' and ''P. c. brehmii'' in the western Pyrenees | url = http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=6909814 | journal = Behaviour | volume = 111 | issue = 1–4| pages = 270–290 | url-access = subscription }}</ref> via the mountains of central Spain to the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]]; the Iberian and common chiffchaffs co-occur in a narrow band along this line.<ref name=Balmori>{{Cite journal | last1=Balmori | first1=A. | last2=Cuesta | first2=M.Á. | last3=Caballero | first3=J.M. | date=2002 | title=Distribución de los mosquiteros ibérico (''Phylloscopus brehmii'') y europeo (''Phylloscopus collybita'') en los bosques de ribera de Castilla y León (España) | language=es | journal=Ardeola | volume=49 | issue=1 | pages=19–27 | url=https://www.ardeola.org/uploads/articles/docs/482.pdf }}</ref> Apart from the northernmost section, the precise course of the contact zone is not well documented. A long-distance [[bird migration|migrant]], this species winters in western Africa. It differs from ''P. c. collybita'' in vocalisations,<ref name=Helbig1996/><ref name =Salomon1989/><ref name = SalomonHemim>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1992.tb00965.x | last1 = Salomon | first1 = Marc | last2 = Hemim | first2 = Y. | year = 1992 | title = Song variation in the Chiffchaffs (''Phylloscopus collybita'') of the western Pyrenees – the contact zone between ''collybita'' and ''brehmii'' forms | url = http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=4443546 | journal = Ethology | volume = 92 | issue = 4| pages = 265–282 | bibcode = 1992Ethol..92..265S | url-access = subscription }}</ref> external [[Morphology (biology)|morphology]],<ref name=Salomon1997>{{Cite journal | last1 = Salomon | first1 = Marc | last2 = Bried | first2 = J. | last3 = Helbig | first3 = Andreas J. | last4 = Riofrio | first4 = J. | year = 1997 | title = Morphometric differentiation between male Common Chiffchaffs, ''Phylloscopus [c.] collybita'' Vieillot, 1817, and Iberian Chiffchaffs, ''P. [c.] brehmii'' Homeyer, 1871, in a secondary contact zone (Aves: Sylviidae) | journal = Zoologischer Anzeiger | volume = 236 | pages = 25–36 }}</ref> and [[mitochondrial DNA|mtDNA]] [[Nucleic acid sequence|sequence]]s.<ref name=Helbig1996/><ref name = Helbig2001>{{cite journal | last1 = Helbig | first1 = Andreas J. | last2 = Salomon | first2 = Marc | last3 = Bensch | first3 = S. | last4 = Seibold | first4 = I. | year = 2001 | title = Male-biased gene flow across an avian hybrid zone: evidence from mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA | journal = Journal of Evolutionary Biology | volume = 14 | issue = 2| pages = 277–287 | doi = 10.1046/j.1420-9101.2001.00273.x | s2cid = 53468357 | url = http://lup.lub.lu.se/record/145754 }}</ref> There is  [[Hybrid (biology)|hybridization]] in the contact zone,<ref name =Salomon1989/><ref name = SalomonHemim/><ref name= BB101/> almost always between male ''P. ibericus'' and female ''P. c. collybita'',<ref name= BB101>{{cite journal|last= Collinson |first= J. Martin |author2=Melling, Tim |date=April 2008 |title= Identification of vagrant Iberian Chiffchaffs - pointers, pitfalls and problem birds |journal=British Birds |volume= 101|issue=4 |pages= 174–188 }}</ref>  and hybrids apparently show much decreased [[fitness (biology)|fitness]];<ref name = Helbig2001/>  hybrid females appear to be [[infertility|sterile]] according to [[Haldane's Rule]].<ref name = Helbig1993>{{ cite journal | last1=Helbig | first1=Andreas J. | last2=Salomon | first2=Marc | last3=Wink | first3=Michael | last4=Bried | first4=Joël | date=1993 | title=Absence de flux genique mitochondrial entre le Pouillots "veloces" medio-européen et ibérique (Aves: ''Phylloscopus collybita, P. (c.) brehmii''); implications taxonomiques. Résultats tirés de la PCR et du séquencage d'ADN | language=fr | journal=Comptes rendus de l'Académie des Sciences | volume=316 | series=series III | pages=205–210 | url=https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/fak14/ipmb/phazb/pubwink/1993/3.%201993.pdf }}</ref> Regarding the latter aspect, the Iberian chiffchaff apparently is the oldest lineage of chiffchaffs and quite distinct from the common chiffchaff.<ref name=Helbig1996/>

[[File:Lz10 pano 2.jpg|thumb|right|Essentially the entire historic range of the extinct [[eastern Canary Islands chiffchaff]] (''P. canariensis exsul'') is shown in this photo.]]
*''P. canariensis'', the '''[[Canary Islands chiffchaff]]''' is a non-migratory species formerly occurring on the major Canary Islands, which is differentiated from ''P. collybita'' by morphology, vocalisations and genetic characteristics, and, of course, is not [[sympatric]] with any other chiffchaffs. The nominate western subspecies ''P. c. canariensis'' of [[El Hierro]], [[La Palma]], [[La Gomera]], [[Tenerife]], and [[Gran Canaria]] is smaller than common chiffchaff, and has shorter, rounder wings.<ref name=Helbig1996/> It is olive-brown above and has a buff breast and flanks;<ref name= Baker/> it has a rich deep ''{{not a typo|chip-cheep-cheep-chip-chip-cheep}}'' song, and a call similar to the nominate race.{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=64–65}} The eastern ''[[eastern Canary Islands chiffchaff|P. c. exsul]]'' of [[Lanzarote]] and possibly [[Fuerteventura]] is paler above and less rufous below than its western relative,<ref name= Baker/> and had a harsher call;{{sfn|Clement|1995}} it might have been a distinct species,<ref name = Sangster2002/> but it became [[extinction|extinct]] in 1986 at latest, probably much earlier. The reasons for its extinction are unclear, but it appears always to have been scarce and localised, occurring only in the Haria Valley of Lanzarote.<ref name= Simms >{{cite book | last = Simms | first = Eric  |title = British Warblers | series=New Naturalist Series | year =  1985| location=London | publisher = Collins | pages =286, 310 | isbn =978-0-00-219810-3 | url=https://archive.org/details/britishwarblers0000simm/page/286/mode/1up | url-access=registration }}</ref>
*''P. sindianus'', the '''[[mountain chiffchaff]]''', is found in the [[Caucasus]] (''P. s. lorenzii'') and [[Himalayas]] (''P. s. sindianus''), and is an altitudinal migrant, moving to lower levels in winter. The nominate subspecies is similar to ''P. c. tristis'', but with a finer darker bill, browner upperparts and buff flanks; its song is almost identical to ''P. collybita'', but the call is a weak ''{{not a typo|psew}}''. ''P. s. lorenzii'' is warmer and darker brown than the nominate race;<ref name=Baker/> it is sympatric with common chiffchaff in a small area in the Western Caucasus, but interbreeding occurs rarely, if ever.<ref name=Martens1983/> The mountain chiffchaff differs from ''tristis'' in vocalisations,<ref name=Martens1983>{{Cite journal | last=Martens | first=Von J. | date=1983 | title=Ringförmige Arealüberschneidung und Artbildung beim Zilpzalp, ''Phylloscopus collybita'' | language=de | journal=Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research | volume=20 | issue=2 | pages=82–100 | doi=10.1111/j.1439-0469.1983.tb00254.x| doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="MartensHänel">{{cite journal | last1 = Martens | first1 = Jochen | last2 = Hänel | first2 = Sabine | year = 1981 | title = Gesangformen und Verwandtschaft der asiatischen Zilpzalpe ''Phylloscopus collybita abietinus'' und ''Ph. c. sindianus'' | language = de | journal = Journal für Ornithologie | volume = 122 | issue = 4| pages = 403–427 | doi = 10.1007/BF01652928 | s2cid = 36030137 }}</ref> external [[Morphology (biology)|morphology]],<ref name=Cramp1992>{{ cite book | editor1-last=Cramp | editor1-first=Stanley | display-editors=etal | editor1-link=Stanley Cramp | year=1992 | chapter=''Phylloscopus sindianus'' Mountain Chiffchaff | title=Handbook of the Birds of Europe the Middle East and North Africa. The Birds of the Western Palearctic | volume=VI: Warblers | location=Oxford | publisher=Oxford University Press | pages=605–612 [606, 611] | isbn=978-0-19-857509-2 }}</ref> and [[mitochondrial DNA|mtDNA]] [[Nucleic acid sequence|sequence]]s.<ref name=Helbig1996/> Its two subspecies appear to be distinct vocally,<ref name=Martens1983/> and also show some difference in mtDNA sequences;<ref name=Helbig1996/> they are maintained at subspecies rank pending further research.<ref name = Sangster2002/>

===Etymology===
The common chiffchaff's [[English language|English]] name is onomatopoeic, referring to the repetitive ''{{not a typo|chiff-chaff}}'' song of the European subspecies.<ref name= Cocker>{{cite book | last = Cocker | first = Mark |author2=Mabey, Richard  |title = Birds Britannica | year = 2005 |location=London | publisher = Chatto & Windus | pages = 378–379|isbn = 978-0-7011-6907-7}}</ref> There are similar names in some other European languages, such as the [[Dutch language|Dutch]] {{lang|nl|tjiftjaf}}, the [[German language|German]] {{lang|de|Zilpzalp}}, [[Welsh language|Welsh]] {{lang|cy|siff-saff}} and  [[Finnish language|Finnish]] {{lang|fi|tiltaltti}}.<ref>[https://glosbe.com/fi/en/tiltaltti Tiltaltti] in Glosbe.</ref> The [[binomial nomenclature|binomial name]] is of [[Greek language|Greek]] origin; ''Phylloscopus'' comes from ''{{Transliteration|el|phúllon}}''/{{lang|el|φύλλον}} "leaf", and ''{{Transliteration|el|skopéō}}''/{{lang|el|σκοπέω}} "to look at" or "to see",<ref name= Terres >{{cite book | last = Terres | first = John K.|title = The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds | year = 1980 | publisher = Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.| location = New York|page =1001| isbn = 978-0-517-03288-6 }}</ref> since this genus comprises species that spend much of their time feeding in trees, while ''collybita'' is a corruption of κολλυβιστής (''kollubistḗs'') "money changer", the song being likened to the jingling of coins.<ref name= Cocker/> In some languages their tree-dwelling habit is hinted in the vernacular name. For example, in Swedish the common chiffchaff is called ''gransångare'', a compound of ''gran'' (i.e. "[[Picea abies|spruce]]") and ''sångare'', meaning both "singer" and [[Old World warbler]].

==Description==
The common chiffchaff is a small, dumpy, {{convert|10-12|cm|in|abbr=off}} long leaf warbler. The male weighs 7–8&nbsp;grammes (0.28–0.31&nbsp;oz), and the female 6–7&nbsp;grammes (0.25–0.28&nbsp;oz).{{sfn|Clement|1995|p=59}}<!--supports weights only--> The spring adult of the western [[Subspecies#Nomenclature|nominate subspecies]] '' P. c. collybita'' has brown-washed dull green upperparts, off-white underparts becoming yellowish on the flanks, and a short whitish [[supercilium]]. It has dark legs, a fine dark bill, and short [[Flight feather#Primary extension|primary projection]] (extension of the [[flight feather]]s beyond the folded wing).{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=13–14}} As the plumage wears, it gets duller and browner, and the yellow on the flanks tends to be lost, but after the breeding season there is a prolonged complete [[moulting|moult]] before migration. The newly fledged juvenile is browner above than the adult, with yellow-white underparts, but moults about 10 weeks after acquiring its first plumage. After moulting, both the adult and the juvenile have brighter and greener upperparts and a paler supercilium.{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=15–16}}<!--supports moult only-->
[[File:Common Chiffchaff.jpg|thumb|left|Common chiffchaff]]
[[File:Phylloscopus collybita.jpg|Nominate subspecies <br />''P. c. collybita'' in [[Newcastle upon Tyne]]|thumb]]

This warbler gets its name from its simple distinctive song, a repetitive cheerful ''{{not a typo|chiff-chaff}}''. This song is one of the first [[bird|avian]] signs that spring has returned. Its call is a ''{{not a typo|hweet}}'', less [[syllable|disyllabic]] than the ''{{not a typo|hooeet}}'' of the willow warbler or ''{{not a typo|hu-it}}'' of the [[western Bonelli's warbler]].<ref name= Collins>Mullarney, Killian; Svensson, Lars, Zetterstrom, Dan; Grant, Peter. (1999). ''Birds of Europe.'' London. HarperCollins. pp. 304–306 {{ISBN|0-00-219728-6}}</ref>

The song differs from that of the Iberian chiffchaff, which has a shorter ''{{not a typo|djup djup djup wheep wheep chittichittichiittichitta}}''. However, mixed singers occur in the hybridisation zone and elsewhere, and can be difficult to allocate to species.<ref name = BB101/>

When not singing, the common chiffchaff can be difficult to distinguish from other leaf warblers with greenish upperparts and whitish underparts, particularly the willow warbler. However, that species has a longer primary projection, a sleeker, brighter appearance and generally pale legs. Bonelli's warbler (''P. bonelli)'' might be confused with the common chiffchaff subspecies ''tristis'', but it has a plain face and green in the wings.{{sfn|Clement|1995|p=26}} The common chiffchaff also has rounded wings in flight, and a diagnostic tail movement consisting of a dip, then sidewards wag, that distinguishes it from other ''Phylloscopus'' warblers<ref name= BWP/> and gives rise to the name "tailwagger" in India.<ref name=Simms/>

Perhaps the greatest challenge is distinguishing non-singing birds of the nominate subspecies from Iberian chiffchaff in the field. In [[Great Britain]] and the [[Netherlands]], all accepted records of vagrant Iberian chiffchaffs relate to singing males.<ref name = BB101/>

==Distribution and habitat==
The common chiffchaff breeds across Europe and Asia east to eastern [[Siberia]] and north to about 70°N, with isolated populations in northwest Africa, northern and western [[Turkey]] and northwestern [[Iran]].{{sfn|Clement|1995|p=30}} It is migratory, but it is one of the first [[passerine]] birds to return to its breeding areas in the spring and among the last to leave in late autumn.<ref name = Collins/><ref name =BWP/> When breeding, it is a bird of open woodlands with some taller trees and ground cover for nesting purposes. These trees are typically at least {{convert|5|m|ft|abbr=off}} high, with undergrowth that is an open, poor to medium mix of grasses, [[bracken]], nettles or similar plants. Its breeding habitat is quite specific, and even near relatives do not share it; for example, the [[willow warbler]] (''P. trochilus'') prefers younger trees, while the [[wood warbler]] (''P. sibilatrix'') prefers less undergrowth.{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=44–45}} In winter, the common chiffchaff uses a wider range of habitats including scrub, and is not so dependent on trees. It is often found near water, unlike the willow warbler which tolerates drier habitats.{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=52–54}} There is an increasing tendency to winter in western Europe well north of the traditional areas, especially in coastal southern [[England]] and the mild urban [[microclimate]] of [[London]].{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=40–43}} These overwintering common chiffchaffs include some visitors of the eastern subspecies ''abietinus'' and ''tristis'', so they are certainly not all birds which have bred locally, although some undoubtedly are.<ref name =BWP/>

==Behaviour==

===Territory===
[[File:Siberian Chiffchaff I IMG 9454.jpg|thumb| upright| Siberian chiffchaff near [[Hodal]], India]]
The male common chiffchaff is highly territorial during the breeding season, with a core territory typically {{convert|20|m|ft|abbr=off}} across, which is fiercely defended against other males. Other small birds may also be attacked.{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=80–84}} The male is inquisitive and fearless, attacking even dangerous predators like the [[stoat]] if they approach the nest, as well as egg-thieves like the [[Eurasian jay]].{{sfn|Clement|1995|p=74}} His song, given from a favoured prominent vantage point, appears to be used to advertise an established territory and contact the female, rather than as a paternity guard strategy.<ref name= Rodrigues >{{cite journal|last= Rodrigues|first= Marcos |s2cid= 53189826 |date=1996 |title= Song activity in the chiffchaff: territorial defence or mate guarding? |journal=  Animal Behaviour|volume= 51|issue= 3|pages= 709–716 |doi= 10.1006/anbe.1996.0074}}</ref>

Beyond the core territory, there is a larger feeding range which is variable in size, but typically ten or more times the area of the breeding territory. It is believed that the female has a larger feeding range than the male.{{sfn|Clement|1995|p=80}} After breeding has finished, this species abandons its territory, and may join small flocks including other warblers prior to migration.<ref name=BWP/>

===Breeding===
[[File:Phylloscopus collybita MWNH 2266.JPG|thumb|Eggs, Collection [[Museum Wiesbaden, Germany]]]]
The male common chiffchaff returns to its breeding territory two or three weeks before the female and immediately starts singing to establish ownership and attract a female. When a female is located, the male will use a slow butterfly-like flight as part of the courtship ritual, but once a pair-bond has been established, other females will be driven from the territory. The male has little involvement in the nesting process other than defending the territory.{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=84–88}} The female's nest is built on or near the ground in a concealed site in brambles, nettles or other dense low vegetation. The domed nest has a side entrance, and is constructed from coarse plant material such as dead leaves and grass, with finer material used on the interior before the addition of a lining of feathers. The typical nest is {{convert|12.5|cm|in|abbr=off}} high and {{convert|11|cm|in|abbr=off}} across.{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=90–92}}

The clutch is two to seven (normally five or six) cream-coloured eggs which have tiny ruddy, purple or blackish spots and are about {{convert|1.5|cm|in|abbr=off}} long and {{convert|1.2|cm|in|abbr=off}} across. They are incubated by the female for 13–14 days before hatching as naked, blind [[altricial]] chicks.{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=92–95}} The female broods and feeds the chicks for another 14–15 days until they fledge. The male rarely participates in feeding, although this sometimes occurs, especially when bad weather limits insect supplies or if the female disappears. After fledging, the young stay in the vicinity of the nest for three to four weeks, and are fed by and roost with the female, although these interactions reduce after approximately the first 14 days.{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=95–100}} In the north of the range there is only time to raise one brood, due to the short summer, but a second brood is common in central and southern areas.{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=102–103}}

Although pairs stay together during the breeding season and [[Animal sexual behaviour#Polygamy|polygamy]] is uncommon, even if the male and female return to the same site in the following year there is no apparent recognition or fidelity. Interbreeding with other species, other than those formerly considered as subspecies of ''P. collybita'', is rare, but a few examples are known of hybridisation with the willow warbler. Such hybrids give mixed songs, but the latter alone is not proof of interspecific breeding.{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=100–102}}

===Feeding===
Like most Old World warblers, this small species is [[insectivore|insectivorous]], moving restlessly through foliage or briefly hovering. It has been recorded as taking [[insect]]s, mainly [[fly|flies]], from more than 50 families, along with other small and medium-sized invertebrates. It will take the eggs and [[larva]]e of [[lepidoptera|butterflies and moths]], particularly those of the [[winter moth]].{{sfn|Clement|1995|p=56}} The chiffchaff has been estimated to require about one-third of its weight in insects daily, and it feeds almost continuously in the autumn to put on extra fat as fuel for the long migration flight.{{sfn|Clement|1995|p=58}}

==Predators and threats==
As with most small birds, mortality in the first year of life is high, but adults aged three to four years are regularly recorded, and the record is more than seven years. Eggs, chicks and fledglings of this ground-nesting species are taken by [[stoat]]s, [[weasel]]s and crows such as the [[European magpie]], and the adults are hunted by [[bird of prey|birds of prey]], particularly the [[Accipitridae|sparrowhawk]]. Small birds are also at the mercy of the weather, particularly when migrating, but also on the breeding and wintering grounds.{{sfn|Clement|1995|pp=120–121}}

The common chiffchaff is occasionally a host of [[brood parasite|brood parasitic]] [[cuckoo]]s, including the [[common cuckoo|common]] and [[Horsfield's cuckoo]]s,<ref name= Johnsgard >{{cite book | last = Johnsgard| first = Paul A. |author-link=Paul Johnsgard |title = The Avian Brood Parasites: Deception at the Nest | year = 1997 | publisher = Oxford University Press | isbn = 978-0-19-511042-5 |page =196}}</ref> but it recognises and rejects [[mimicry|non-mimetic]] eggs and is therefore only rarely successfully brood-parasitised.<ref name= Moksne>{{cite journal|last= Moksnes |first= Arne |author2=Roskaft, Eivin |date=January–March 1992|title= Responses of some rare cuckoo hosts to mimetic model cuckoo eggs and to foreign conspecific eggs |journal= Ornis Scandinavica |volume= 23|issue= 1|pages= 17–23| doi=10.2307/3676422|jstor= 3676422}}</ref> Like other passerine birds, the common chiffchaff can also acquire intestinal [[nematode]] parasites and external ticks.<ref name = Cork>{{cite web|title= Cork, Susan C, Grant Report - SEPG 1695  |work= The prevalence of nematode parasites in transcontinental songbirds|url= http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/articles/grants/reports/1695/|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071121050746/http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/articles/grants/reports/1695/|archive-date= 2007-11-21|publisher= British Ecological Society |access-date=2007-12-28}}</ref><ref name= Jaenson >{{cite journal|last= Jaenson|author2=Jensen, Jens-Kjeld |date=May 2007 |title=  Records of ticks (Acari, Ixodidae) from the Faroe Islands |url = http://www.entomologi.no/journals/nje/2007-1/abs/NJE-54-jaenson.pdf |journal= Norwegian Journal of Entomology|volume= 54|pages=11–15|first= Thomas G.T.}}</ref>

The main effect of humans on this species is indirect, through woodland clearance which affects the habitat, predation by cats, and collisions with windows, buildings and cars. Only the first of these has the potential to seriously affect populations, but given the huge geographical spread of ''P. c. abietinus'' and ''P. c. tristis'', and woodland conservation policies in the range of ''P. c. collybita'', the chiffchaff's future seems assured.{{sfn|Clement|1995|p=121}}

==Status==
The common chiffchaff has an enormous range, with an estimated global extent of 10&nbsp;million&nbsp;square kilometres (3.8&nbsp;million square miles) and a population of 60–120 million individuals in Europe alone. Although global population trends have not been quantified, the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the [[IUCN Red List]] (that is, declining more than 30 percent in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as "[[least concern]]".<ref name=IUCN/>

None of the major subspecies is under threat, but ''exsul'', as noted above, is probably extinct. There is a slow population increase of common chiffchaff in the Czech Republic.<ref>{{in lang|cs}} [http://jpsp.birds.cz/vysledky.php?taxon=781 Budníček menší (Phylloscopus collybita)]. Česká společnost ornitologická (Czech Society for Ornithology), accessed 20 April 2009</ref> The range of at least ''P. c. collybita'' seems to be expanding, with northward advances in [[Scotland]], [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]] and a large population increase in [[Denmark]].<ref name=BWP>{{cite book | editor1-last = Snow  | editor1-first =  David  |editor2-last= Perrins|editor2-first=Christopher M.| title = The Birds of the Western Palearctic concise edition | volume=2: Passerines | publisher = Oxford University Press |year = 1998| location =Oxford | isbn = 978-0-19-854099-1 | pages=1337–1339 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book| last = Clement| first = Peter|title = The Chiffchaff| series=Hamlyn Species Guides | year = 1995 | publisher = Hamlyn| location = London | isbn = 978-0-600-57978-6}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|Chiffchaff.ogg|date=2009-04-19}}
*{{Wikispecies-inline|Phylloscopus collybita|Chiffchaff}}
*{{Commons-inline}}
*{{Wiktionary-inline}}
* [[BBC]] Science and Nature: [https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/363.shtml BBC chiffchaff site]
* BBC Science and Nature: [https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/programmes/radio/dawn_chorus/video/chiffchaff_song.ram Common chiffchaff song] ([[RealAudio|Real Audio]] streaming)
* [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/common-chiffchaff-phylloscopus-collybita Common chiffchaff videos, photos & sounds] on the Internet Bird Collection
* [[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds|RSPB]]: [http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/c/chiffchaff/index.asp Chiffchaff, ''Phylloscopus collybita'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160314150015/http://aulaenred.ibercaja.es/wp-content/uploads/380_ChiffchaffPcollybita.pdf Ageing and sexing (PDF; 3.5 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze]
{{featured article}}
* [http://www.ornithos.de/Ornithos/Feather_Collection/Phylloscopos_collybita/Phylloscopos_collybita.htm Feathers of Common chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)]

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[[Category:Phylloscopus|common chiffchaff]]
[[Category:Birds of Europe]]
[[Category:Birds of Russia]]
[[Category:Birds of Africa]]
[[Category:Birds of North Africa]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1817|common chiffchaff]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Louis Pierre Vieillot]]