Getting to grips with warblers 1: Chiffchaff Vs Willow Warbler

This bird ID video gives useful tips on how to distinguish between Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. It is one of a series of bird ID videos produced by the BTO. To see more videos giving help with tricky bird IDs visit www.bto.org/about-birds/bird-id

[@ruthnuala]

Brilliant . I heard and then finally searched out a willow warbler....in my garden in devon...so excited to have been able to tell by the info in your guide . Many many thanks xx

[@markharris5771]

I like the notion that the chiffchaff sometimes gets its call wrong. Another great video presented by someone who is obviously passionate about birds.

[@bobbyshaftoe409]

Watching this video has just enabled me to identify the beautiful little birds which I saw in abundance at Creagan (Argyll) recently,they were Willow Warbler.The video is brilliant. Thank you for posting it.

[@Mortthemoose]

That was great! Thanks so much. Am in Perthshire, Scotland, and saw a Willow warbler in the garden last week....a very rare visitor for me.

[@BorisCybagooseuk]

Thanks for this, I have filmed a Chiffchaff in our birdbath in the garden, I found this film very informative !

[@sliewood]

I have this occasional little visitor who comes on and off all year to my urban coastal garden. He 'soo-eet's me and nips in for suet pellets. Couldn't decide what he was cos he has never full on sung here but now I know. Many many thanks.

[@AlexZorach]

I agree with Graham's comment -- I love how this video shows the tail-dipping behavior in the footage of the Chiffchaff. I think it would be useful to comment on this, because it's often a much easier feature to see than the subtle differences in plumage, especially when the bird is backlit.

[@DrewKF]

I can't see this comment from a Graham (maybe it's deleted or not showing up on the mobile site) but thanks for mentioning that! I really appreciate these videos but I don't think a "less info is best" approach works for everyone; I don't remember everything the first time I hear/read it, but if details are never mentioned to begin with they're not going to get a chance to stick through repetition either! ;)

[@my35Xvision]

Fantastic video! I always find it difficult to distinguish warbler like little birds - they are so similar sometimes... Thank you for this particular pair of birds in compare to each other. It is great quality and very informative.

[@BTOvideo]

Thanks for the feedback, glad you like it!

[@BTOvideo]

Sometimes we are limited by the material we have, and unfortunately can only provide short clips of calls and song in the video. Where possible we have included links to additional song and calls on the video pages linked from the bird ID listing page link in the description above. You can also find a good range of call and song clips at the Xeno Canto website which is where we select these additional clips from.

[@xrach2006x]

Are you going to do a video on great tits and coal tits as I have trouble telling them apart

[@nellieneshaver]

@@xrach2006x I'd really appreciate one, too.

[@Dr_No]

Very helpful! Thank you! I am just *chuffed* about our most adorable Chiffchaffs!

[@awolf913]

They are adorable! I'm certainly chiffchuffed lol

[@teresahart5673]

A Willow Warbler sang nearby yesterday evening, your guide helped in identification thank you. Also on one for the Chaffinch.

[@colinbellvintagehymnssongs5291]

I had a fascinating encounter with a young Willow Warbler last week. It kept flying to and hovering in front of my Canary ( who was in his cage). I concluded that the young bird must have mistook my Canary as it's parent and wanted fed!

[@Yawnyaman]

My observation - very tentative- is that young willow warblers separate from their parents by the end of Summer, like whitethroats. Young chiffchaffs may hang around with them for longer.

[@milkshake3350]

Great little video, very informative, thank you.

[@MrCam16]

Many thanks for the upload of these ID videos, they are very helpful!

[@ammadoux]

they dont sing when they come to Jeddah on migration. but willow warblers appear mid September and leave soon. chiffchaffs appear late October and some stay all winter in my garden and around the city. there numbers increase considerably in the last week of January and many appear in Febuary until first week of March and these few days are the only time they overlap with the willow warbler that just start to show up for spring migration. willow warbler sometimes stay until late May.

[@maddisonbott9289]

It looks cute and adorable 💘

[@nettsinthewoods3029]

Smashing and very helpful vid. Thank you for loading. Now I know who is where in my garden :-))

[@touchedbynature5445]

Excellent, very informative. Many thanks great video

[@Kringlebeast]

I've learnt something new today, thanks!

[@Yawnyaman]

In the UK, chiffchaffs are most common in the Southeast, while willow warblers more so in Scotland, where they are classic birds of birch and willow trees and hill scrub.

[@BTOvideo]

Thanks @my35Xvision for the nice comments, really glad you like this.

[@onestepbeyond5221]

thank you, now I know its a willow warbler, picking up nesting material :-)

[@alftupper9359]

Very good and thanks for sharing. As a request for future videos, it would be good to have a gap in the narrative to study the song.

[@zim81]

Love the videos, they're really helping. One (minor) criticism though: when discussing the calls, can you give a bit longer for us to hear them please?

[@OldSkoolWax]

There are birds outside and I'm struggling to know if it's a chaffinch or a willow warbler. I live in an urban-ish environ in the suburbs of Belfast, Ireland. Anyone any hints on telling the differecne?

[@ramserpent]

Great film thanks

[@madisonking67]

Who likes minsmere (: cause I love it and you guys out there comment me xxxx

[@AndrewMcCaffertyXerxes]

Interesting to see you talking about leg colour: I don't think that's a particularly reliable way to distinguish the two, is it? I thought that feature was pretty variable?

[@BTOvideo]

It's fairly reliable, but not 100%. In combination with other features in the video, it should give you a good idea of ID!

[@Tricyklist]

A video absolutely guaranteed to put the keenest off bird watching.

[@davidwalters7004]

why

[@santallum]

I live in the middle of the City and regularly have either willow warbers or chiffchaffs visit the garden every year .. but they never sing and I never get quite close enough to see the colour of the legs and so I still don't know which of these two birds I am seeing

[@Yawnyaman]

Almost certainly a chiffchaff. They often visit large or suburban city gardens in September and October.

[@bmg2507]

Do willow warblers do a long clicking sound as well ? like a cricket

[@christopherherron3335]

The warblers as far as I can remember are usually found in marsh land were there are streams or rivers unless they have changed

[@Yawnyaman]

Both may be found there but they breed in woodland or high shrub cover, from my experience. Chiffchaff sometimes in town parks or very large suburban gardens.

[@zim81]

Thanks though!

[@austinthornton3407]

I found those calls indistinguishable.

[@davidwalters7004]

me too!!

[@maddisonbott9289]

💘💘💘💘💘💘💘

[@PSTWFB]

Dancing Mini Bird! Willow Warbler! Phylloscopus trochilus! kzbin.infooRRfmUfLXDA?feature=share

[@wi1ma1]

The willow warbler sounds a lot like a chaffinch to me!

[@madisonking67]

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[@talonfluff]

Willow warbler sounds kinda like chaffinch

[@madisonking67]

I'm new (: :(