Chiffchaffs are one of the first birds to arrive back in Scotland in spring after spending the winter months in warmer places. In celebration of their return RSPB Scotland’s Jess Barrett brings you five facts you need to know about these birds.
Five facts you need to know about chiffchaffs
1. Chiffchaffs have an onomatopoeic name
Many of you will be familiar with the “chiff chaff, chiff chaff” call of a chiffchaff. While other migrant birds can arrive back in Scotland around the same time it’s the chiffchaffs that are the first to sing and so herald in spring. Keep your eyes tuned in for their song over the next month or so.
2. A chiffchaff is about the size of a blue tit
Chiffchaffs are smaller and more compact than their willow warbler relatives, with a size similar to blue tits. Unlike blue tits however you’re unlikely to see a chiffchaff in your garden making the most of the food left out as they tend to be found in woodlands.
3. Chiffchaffs have a dark line through their eye and a pale strip above it
Willow warblers also have similar markings but their stripe above the eye is more yellow in colour and more clearly defined. In the spring and summer chiffchaffs appear dull green or olive brown on the upper parts of their body and they will gradually get duller in colour during the summer.
4. Female chiffchaffs build a domed nest
It’s the female birds who build the nest which is dome shaped with a side entrance. They also do most of the feeding of the chicks once they have hatched. When the young leave the nest at around 15 days old they will sometimes be split between the parents for the next 10-19 days until they become independent.
5. Chiffchaffs leave Scotland in late September.
As the days begin to draw in again chiffchaffs tend to start making their way south for another winter, usually in the last half of September. Most will head south-east into France and then into the Mediterranean region and north Africa.