Willow Warbler Identification
What I look like
The Willow Warbler has a gray-brown plumage with sometimes greenish shades.
It has a pale eyebrow like the Chiffchaff.
The upper part of its body is greenish-gray-brown.
The underparts are beige to pale yellow.
It closely resembles the Chiffchaff.
It can barely be distinguished by its lighter legs and longer wings.
Its longer wings indicate its behavior as a long-distance migrant.
It is the size of a Blue Tit.
My songs, my calls
It is its song that distinguishes it from the Chiffchaff.
The Willow Warbler's song is melancholic and fluted, ending with a cascade of descending notes. "fit-fit-fit sisisisisi yitoïtoïtoïtoï teuytoï"
You can also hear its whistled and rising calls "hu-it"
How I behave
The Willow Warbler is noticed by its song rather than its gray-brown plumage.
It can be seen singing in trees and hedges.
How I reproduce
The breeding season of the Willow Warbler extends from May to August.
It produces 1 brood per year of 4 to 7 white eggs spotted with brown.
Its nest is a ball of grass and leaves.
It builds its nest near the ground in dense bushes.
What I eat
The Willow Warbler is insectivorous.
It feeds in trees and foliage.
Where to find me
The Willow Warbler lives in open deciduous and mixed forests.
as well as in the trees and hedges of parks and gardens.
It is a long-distance migrant.
It spends the winter south of the Sahara.
In spring, it heads towards northern Europe for breeding.
In western Europe, it is heard in spring during a stopover on its migration.
It can also breed in France in the northern two-thirds of the country.