Willow warbler

Description

The willow warbler is about eleven to thirteen cm long and has a wingspan of 17 to 22 cm. The weight is about eight to eleven grams. It is difficult to distinguish in appearance from the common chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita). Its upperparts are green to olive-brown, its underparts yellowish-white. The small bird has a yellowish throat, breast and over-eye streak. Males and females have the same colouration. 

A willow warbler can live up to twelve years.

difference to the common chiffchaff

In Central Europe, the willow warbler is easily confused with the very similar and also common common chiffchaff; they are sibling species. The willow warbler is somewhat more slender and long-winged than the common chiffchaff. The legs of the willow warbler are usually much lighter, the supercilium is longer and more pronounced, especially behind the eye. The primaries projection, i.e. the projection of the primaries over the tertials, is much larger in the willow warbler. Furthermore, in the common chiffchaff the fifth primary has a narrowing on the inside of the outer vane, which is absent in the willow warbler. However, this distinctive feature can only be recognised if the birds are held in the hand.

The long-distance migrant is present in almost all of Central and Northern Europe from April to September. The willow warbler lives in sparse deciduous and mixed forests, parks, wetlands, shrublands and gardens.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitis). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 22 November 2021