back from africa, and i look just like a chiffchaff. ask my song.
Willow warbler says
Bird 13 of 30 · video, 22:49
Willow warbler
Phylloscopus trochilus
A herald of spring: olive-green, easy to mix up with a chiffchaff until it sings its sweet, falling trickle.
- Tiny, 8.9 g
- Summer visitor
- On or near the ground
- In a tree
About the willow warbler
Marks and dots
Tap a numbered dot, or a name in the list.
Mainly green, olive and buff.
Lighter underparts than the back.
Said to be paler and flesh-coloured next to a chiffchaff's, but that is not reliable.
From egg to adult
-
Egg
Eggsup to 7 eggs video, BTO agrees
Hatch after13 days video, BTO agrees
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Chick in the nest
In the nest forabout 14 days video, BTO agrees
-
Young bird
The video does not describe young willow warblers.
Adult
Olive-green and buff; paler underparts
Broods a year1 brood (2 exceptionally) BTO
BTO averages: 13 days incubating the eggs, then 14 days in the nest. Averages across nest records, so the figures above can differ a little.
At the table
- not said in the video
The video does not say what willow warblers eat.
This page mentions bird tables. Since April 2026 the RSPB and the BTO advise against them, and say to feed seeds and peanuts only from November to April. What changed, and why.
Through the year
Willow warbler: around Mar to Oct; first back, as early as mid-March, Mar; nesting begins by the end of April, Apr; leaving as late as mid-October, Oct; first eggs laid 2 May to 11 Jun, average 12 May (BTO); first chicks leave the nest 27 May to 11 Jul (worked out from BTO).
What to know about the willow warbler
Eight short notes in our own words. Each chip says what the note stands on, and links to its row in the table below.
What to look for
Not an easy bird: it is remarkably like its close relative the chiffchaff. Mainly olive-green and buff, with lighter underparts. It is said to have paler, flesh-coloured legs than a chiffchaff, but that is not reliable.
Male and female
The video does not say whether male and female willow warblers look different.
not in the video
The young
The video does not describe young willow warblers.
not in the video
Song and call
The only sure way to tell a willow warbler from a chiffchaff is to hear it. The willow warbler sings a sweet, falling trickle of notes, where the chiffchaff just repeats its own name over and over.
Nest
Nesting starts by the end of April. The nest is a beautiful domed structure of grass lined with feathers, carefully hidden at ground level.
Feeding
The video does not say what willow warblers eat.
not in the video
Staying or leaving
One of the first migrants to return, sometimes as early as mid-March, so a welcome herald of spring. Migrating birds leave as late as mid-October for Africa south of the Sahara. The video adds that a few do not migrate and can turn up at winter bird tables. BTO calls it a summer visitor.
In the garden
A woodland species that has become a popular garden visitor once it is back.
Sources and checks
Where every fact about the willow warbler came from
17 claims about the willow warbler: 4 checked, 9 from the video only,0 differ, 4 from a source only. How the grades work
| Claim, in our words | Video time | Grade | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willow warblers are mainly green, olive and buff, with lighter underparts. | 23:10 | video only | BTO calls the bird olive and yellow. |
| It is remarkably similar to the chiffchaff; it is said to have paler, flesh-coloured legs, but this is not reliable. | 23:02 | video only | |
| The only sure way to tell it from a chiffchaff is its song. | 23:20 | video only | |
| The willow warbler's song is a sweet descending trickle of notes. | 23:23 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO describes a cascading, liquid song. |
| The chiffchaff simply repeats its own name over and over. | 23:28 | video only | |
| It is one of the first returning migrants, sometimes as early as mid-March, a welcome herald of spring. | 22:52 | video only | BTO says its song can be heard from mid-April and gives no arrival date. |
| Migrating birds depart as late as mid-October for Africa south of the Sahara. | 24:05 | video only | |
| Some willow warblers do not migrate and can occasionally appear at winter bird tables. | 23:40 | video only | BTO calls it a summer visitor and says nothing about winter birds. |
| BTO calls the willow warbler a summer visitor to Britain and Ireland. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO's introduction to the species. |
| Nesting begins by the end of April; the nest is a domed structure of grass lined with feathers, carefully concealed at ground level. | 23:45 | video only | |
| Up to seven eggs are laid at a time.video: up to 7 eggs | 23:53 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 5–7 eggs (BTO typical)up to 7 sits between BTO's typical top (7) and the most BTO records (9) |
| They hatch after 13 days.video: 13 days | 23:56 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 12–14 days (BTO typical)inside BTO's typical range of 12–14 |
| Young willow warblers fly the nest when about two weeks old.video: about 14 days | 23:58 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 13–16 days (BTO typical)inside BTO's typical range of 13–16 |
| Once back in Britain this woodland species is a popular garden visitor. | 23:35 | video only | |
| Adult weight, from ringing records: 8.9 g, adult average. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 8.9 g, adult average |
| Timing of the first clutch: first eggs laid around 12 May (2 May-11 Jun). | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: first eggs laid around 12 May (2 May-11 Jun) |
| Typical broods in a year: 1 brood (2 exceptionally) (BTO typical). | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 1 brood (2 exceptionally) (BTO typical) |
Written in our own words after “British Birds in your Garden” by The Great British Channel, where the willow warbler starts at 22:49.Numbers are checked against the BTO's page for the willow warbler, read on 5 October 2026. We are not connected to the channel or to the BTO.
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