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Common chiffchaff migration Phylloscopus collybita
▶ Follow the common chiffchaff across the big globe
Press ▶ to play the year. Line: a simplified typical route, joining the main cluster of GBIF records in each month (adjusted for observer effort).
| Scientific name | Phylloscopus collybita |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 18 cm |
| IUCN status | Least concern |
| Records mapped | 4,374,778 (GBIF) |
| GPS / geolocator tracks | none with an open licence yet |
Facts from Wikidata Q185784 (CC0).
When does the common chiffchaff arrive in the UK?
Recorded in the UK in every season, so the records do not show one clear arrival date.
Bars: this species’ share of all UK bird records in GBIF (CC0/CC BY), by month, scaled to the peak month. Based on 594,756 UK records. Weekly counts from the GBIF occurrence search API (country=GB). Dates are read from records, not from a survey, so treat them as a guide.
Migration in the data
4,374,778 GBIF records (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 licences only) are mapped here, in 1.41° grid cells, month by month.
In Europe and Africa, the centre of the records (adjusted for observer effort) is furthest north in July (about 54°N) and furthest south in February (about 35°N).
Month by month: centre of records in Europe and Africa
| Month | Centre (latitude) | South of the Equator |
|---|---|---|
| January | 36°N | 0% |
| February | 35°N | 0% |
| March | 41°N | 0% |
| April | 48°N | 0% |
| May | 52°N | 0% |
| June | 53°N | 0% |
| July | 54°N | 0% |
| August | 52°N | 0% |
| September | 52°N | 0% |
| October | 46°N | 0% |
| November | 39°N | 0% |
| December | 36°N | 0% |
Tracked birds
No openly licensed (CC0 / CC BY) tracking data package for this species was found in the Movebank Data Repository yet, so only records are shown.
About the common chiffchaff
The common chiffchaff, or simply the chiffchaff, is a common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds in open woodlands throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic.
From the Wikipedia article “Common chiffchaff” (revision 1353214873), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sources
GBIF occurrence records, licence CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, observations only (no specimens), filtered with: taxonKey=2493091&license=CC0_1_0&license=CC_BY_4_0&occurrenceStatus=PRESENT&hasGeospatialIssue=false&basisOfRecord=HUMAN_OBSERVATION&basisOfRecord=MACHINE_OBSERVATION&basisOfRecord=OBSERVATION. Monthly queries: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec. GBIF.org (23 October 2026) occurrence data accessed via the GBIF API; a GBIF download DOI is still to be added. Contributing datasets.