Listen to the willow warbler
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the willow warbler
The willow warbler 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 19 cm.
What does the willow warbler sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
The recordings here are labelled as song, oslophylloscopus and alarm call. 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 willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) is a very common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic, from Ireland east to the Anadyr River basin in eastern Siberia. It is strongly migratory, with almost all of the population wintering in sub-Saharan Africa.
It is a bird of open woodlands with trees and ground cover for nesting, including most importantly birch, alder, and willow habitats. The nest is usually built in close contact with the ground, often in low vegetation. Like most Old World warblers (Sylviidae), this small passerine is insectivorous. In northern Europe, it is one of the first warblers to return in the spring, though later than the closely related chiffchaff. In spite of its small size, the willow warbler performs one of the longest migrations of any animal.
Related birds in the genus Phylloscopus
Common chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybita
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 willow warbler sound like?
You can hear 6 recordings of the willow warbler on this page, including its song, oslophylloscopus and alarm call. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the willow warbler endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the willow warbler as “least concern”.
What family does the willow warbler belong to?
The willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) belongs to the family Phylloscopidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources & credits
- OsloPhylloscopus by L. Shyamal – CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Phylloscopus trochilus acredula by Vladimir Yu. Arkhipov, Arkhivov – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) (W1CDR0001510 BD23) – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Witton Gilbert, County Durham, England, United Kingdom by Alejandro Erickson – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Gampelen, Erlach, Bern, Switzerland by Tommy Andriollo – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Alarm call · Pornaistenniemi, Vanhankaupunginlahti, Helsinki, Uusimaa… by Hannu Varkki – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q27239 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Willow warbler – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Andreas Trepte – CC BY-SA 2.5