SCIENTIFIC NAME: PHYLLOSCOPUS TROCHILUS
VERNACULAR NAME: WILLOW WARBLER

Fig 1
DESCRIPTION Wingspan up to 22cm. Adult length up to 11cm. A common leaf warbler that is greenish brown above and more yellowish below. This bird is often confused with the Chiffchaff but the Willow Warbler has paler pinkish legs, a longer wing projection and a more slender bill. Also this species has no eye ring and a longer supercilium.
BEHAVIOUR A bird that is happy to sit atop a tree and pour out its distinctive song that builds up briefly before dying away in a somewhat deflated manner. An insectivorous species that feeds hungrily on aphids as well as a host of other bugs. Later in the year they may be found feeding on fruits and berries. The Willow Warbler moults twice a year.
NEST/EGGS The dome-shaped nest is located low down in scrubby areas and is constructed from mosses, rotten wood and various grasses. The eggs are glossy white with reddish-brown speckles and are found in clutches up to 7. The young hatch after 14 days.
DISTRIBUTION Common throughout.
HABITAT Open wooded areas with trees such as Birch, Willow and Alder with thick scrub below.
PERIOD Summer visitor best seen from April to October. It winters in Africa.