Listen to the common chiffchaff
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the common chiffchaff
The common chiffchaff is a bird in the family Phylloscopidae (order Passeriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 18 cm.
What does the common chiffchaff sound like?
Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once. Songs tend to be long and patterned and are used to hold territory and attract a mate; calls are short signals for contact, alarm and flight.
The recordings here are labelled as call, phylloscopus collybita, begging call and song. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
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.
Related birds in the genus Phylloscopus
Willow warbler
Phylloscopus trochilus
Wood warbler
Phylloscopus sibilatrix
Greenish warbler
Phylloscopus trochiloides
Yellow-browed warbler
Phylloscopus inornatus
Dusky warbler
Phylloscopus fuscatus
Western Bonelli's warbler
Phylloscopus bonelli
Iberian chiffchaff
Phylloscopus ibericus
Green warbler
Phylloscopus nitidus
More from the family Phylloscopidae
Frequently asked questions
What does a common chiffchaff sound like?
You can hear 6 recordings of the common chiffchaff on this page, including its call, phylloscopus collybita and begging call. Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once.
Is the common chiffchaff endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the common chiffchaff as “least concern”.
What family does the common chiffchaff belong to?
The common chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) belongs to the family Phylloscopidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources & credits
- Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) (W1CDR0001497 BD9) – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Phylloscopus collybita by Oona Räisänen ( Mysid ) – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Begging call, call · Volvic, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Prague, Hlavní město Praha, Prague, Czech Republic by Jan Cibulka – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Saint-Pierre-la-Bourlhonne, Puy-de-Dôme… by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Nara Fish Farm Ponds (Нарские пруды), Russian Federation by Nikita Panfilov – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q185784 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Common chiffchaff – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Alexis Lours – CC BY 4.0