Chiffchaff vs Willow Warbler: How to Tell Them Apart
Updated 6 October 2026
Side by side
| Feature | Chiffchaff | Willow Warbler |
|---|---|---|
| Size | About 10 to 11 cm. Slightly dumpier. | About 11 to 12 cm. Slimmer, longer winged. |
| Key plumage | Dull olive-brown above, dirty buff-white below. Short, weak stripe over the eye. Thin white crescents above and below the eye. | Cleaner and greener above, with a yellow wash below (strongest on autumn juveniles). Longer, sharper stripe over the eye. |
| Legs and bill | Legs dark brown to black. Fine, mostly dark bill. | Legs pale: pinkish or orange-brown on most birds. Bill paler at the base. |
| Structure | Short primary projection: the wing tip sticks out about half the length of the tertials. Rounded head. | Long primary projection: about as long as the tertials. Flatter crown, longer look. |
| Flight and movement | Dips its tail down again and again while feeding. | Flicks wings and tail now and then, but no steady tail-dipping. |
| Song | "Chiff-chaff-chiff-chiff-chaff": two plain notes in an uneven run. | A gentle, liquid cascade that starts high, gathers pace, then drops and fades. |
| Call | "Hweet": one rising syllable. | "Hoo-eet": clearly two syllables. |
| Habitat | Mature woodland with tall trees and undergrowth, parks, big gardens. | Young woodland, birch and willow scrub, heath edges, young plantations, upland valleys. |
| When in the UK | Early March to October. Small numbers stay all winter, mostly in the south. | Mid April to September, with the first birds in late March. None in winter. |
| UK status | Green list. About 1.8 million territories (2016) and rising. | Amber list. About 2.3 million territories (2016). Falling in England, rising in Scotland and Northern Ireland. |
Swipe the table sideways on a small screen.
The quickest way to tell them apart
In spring, use your ears. The two songs share nothing and both birds sing all day from April to June.
In autumn, when both go quiet, take the features in this order: tail-dipping, leg colour, then wing tip length if you can get a photo. Two out of three is a safe call. One is not.
By sight
- Legs. Dark on a Chiffchaff. Pale on most Willow Warblers, though a few have darker legs, so do not use legs alone.
- Wing tips. On a perched bird, look at how far the primaries stick out past the tertials. Short on Chiffchaff, long on Willow Warbler. That longer wing fits a bird that flies to Africa south of the Sahara. This is the most reliable mark on a photo.
- Face. The Chiffchaff looks plainer faced, with a short eye stripe and a thin broken white eye ring. The Willow Warbler has a longer, cleaner stripe and a more open expression.
- Colour. Chiffchaffs are duller and browner. Autumn juvenile Willow Warblers can be lemon yellow below.
- Tail. Constant downward dips mean Chiffchaff.
By sound
The Chiffchaff says its name. The notes come in a jerky, uneven run, often with a quiet "trrr" between phrases. The Willow Warbler song lasts about three seconds: a sad, silvery run of notes sliding down the scale.
The calls are close. Both say something like "hooeet". The Chiffchaff squeezes it into one syllable. The Willow Warbler splits it in two. Recorded one and not sure? Run the clip through Sound ID to check it.
By season and habitat
Dates help a lot. Chiffchaffs are among the first migrants back, singing from early March. Willow Warblers follow from late March, with the main arrival in mid April. See our migration guide for the full order of arrival.
A small green warbler in Britain between November and February is a Chiffchaff until proven otherwise. More of them stay each winter, mostly in the south and often near water or sewage works where insects survive. Willow Warblers winter in West Africa.
In summer, tall mature woods in the lowlands hold mostly Chiffchaffs. Young birch on a northern hillside holds mostly Willow Warblers. Plenty of sites have both.
Common mistakes
- Calling it on leg colour alone. Mud, shade and odd dark-legged Willow Warblers all mislead.
- Expecting every Chiffchaff to be brown. Fresh autumn birds can look quite green and yellow.
- Forgetting the Wood Warbler: bigger, bright yellow throat, white belly, and a song like a spinning coin. It is a scarce bird of western oakwoods.
Where to see both
Any mix of woodland and scrub will do from mid April. At RSPB Leighton Moss check the woodland and willow scrub around the reedbed. RSPB Minsmere has both in its woods and coastal bushes, and is a good place to test yourself on silent autumn migrants.
FAQ
What is the easiest way to tell a Chiffchaff from a Willow Warbler?
Song. The Chiffchaff repeats two notes that sound like its name. The Willow Warbler sings a soft phrase that falls down the scale and fades. On a silent bird, look for dark legs and a dipping tail on the Chiffchaff, and pale legs and long wing tips on the Willow Warbler.
Is a small green warbler in winter a Chiffchaff or a Willow Warbler?
Almost certainly a Chiffchaff. Small numbers spend the winter in Britain, mainly in the south. Willow Warblers leave by early autumn and winter in West Africa.
Do Willow Warblers always have pale legs?
Most do, but not all. A few have darker legs, and light can fool you. Back up leg colour with wing tip length, face pattern and whether the bird dips its tail.
Which arrives first in spring?
The Chiffchaff. The first birds sing in early March. Most Willow Warblers arrive in mid April, with a few from late March.
Log both warblers
Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler are both in the Birdedex. Tick the first one you hear this spring, then go and find the other.
Open the Birdedex →