Common chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybita (another tentative)

Seen in De Liereman (august, 2015).

comments (7)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

To me this species ID looks like a very serious candidate. I'm seeing a basic visual match in the beak shape/color, eyes, overall color and pattern (although somewhat faint) and distribution matches.

The only thing I'm unsure of if there's other similar looking candidates. Posted 3 years ago
1. Ferdy Christant
  
  Lion
  
  "When not singing, the common chiffchaff can be difficult to distinguish from other leaf warblers with greenish upperparts and whitish underparts, particularly the willow warbler. However, that species has a longer primary projection, a sleeker, brighter appearance and generally pale legs. Bonelli's warbler might be confused with the common chiffchaff subspecies ''tristis'', but it has a plain face and green in the wings. The common chiffchaff also has rounded wings in flight, and a diagnostic tail movement consisting of a dip, then sidewards wag, that distinguishes it from other ''Phylloscopus'' warblers and gives rise to the name "tailwagger" in India.
  
  Perhaps the greatest challenge is distinguishing non-singing birds of the nominate subspecies from Iberian chiffchaff in the field. In Great Britain and the Netherlands, all accepted records of vagrant Iberian chiffchaffs relate to singing males." Posted 3 years ago
2. 1. Patomarazul
    
    Lion
    
    OMG, yes, is so difficult to tell apart these birds! I did not have the chance to see this one in flight. I hope the ID will be Ok :-) Posted 3 years ago
  2. 1. Ferdy Christant
      
      Lion
      
      It's definitely in the gray zone. The ID is very much possible, question is...is it likely enough for a tentative? We don't really have a very hard definition for "tentative". My take on tentative is "quite sure, just some minor doubts". Perhaps 90% sure. By that definition, I think adding the ID in this case is a little too eager. Because there's significant doubt.
      
      Just my opinion though. This one could go either way depending on how eager/careful one wants to be. In any case you followed a good practice to include the tentative state in the text. Posted 3 years ago
    2. 1. Patomarazul
        
        Lion
        
        I add tentative to atract people that can help me verify the ID mostly and because I am not 100% sure. Do you think I shoudl remove the species for this one? Posted 3 years ago
      2. Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        I see tentative as 90% sure, with a (small) chance it's wrong. For example 2 near-identical species as candidates yet one is reported 10 times more often in your region. In that case, the often reported species is very likely correct, but visually you still can't be 100% sure still.
        
        In this case I don't think we're near that certainty. I recommend to remove the ID for now and ask for a second opinion. I won't enforce it though, it's just my take on it. Posted 3 years ago
        
        Patomarazul
        
        Lion
        
        okidoki, I have removed it for now and I will see if I can get more verifications in a bird forum :-) Posted 3 years ago

No species identified

The species on this photo is not identified yet. When signed in, you can identify species on photos that you uploaded. If you have earned the social image editing capability, you can also identify species on photos uploaded by others.

By Patomarazul

Uploaded Dec 16, 2021. Captured Jul 2, 2015 16:35 in The visitor center Landscape Liereman, Schuurhovenberg 43, 2360 Oud-Turnhout, Belgium.

Explore Belgium 1,910 1,459 0

SP-820UZ
f/5.7
10/10000s
ISO640
160mm

Captured in the summer. More summer photos.