Fitis: pictures, difference to Chiffchaff & more

Close relatives willow willow and chiffchaff can easily be confused. We will show you how the two birds differ, how you can recognize the willow warbler, and provide additional information worth knowing about the warbler.

The Fitis (Phylloscopus trochilus) belongs to the genus of warblers and is therefore also called warbler. It is a widespread songbird that is also native to German gardens. Due to its simple appearance, however, the Willow Warbler is easy to overlook and even when it does show itself openly, it is often associated with its far more common relative, the Willow chiffchaff, mistaken. So if you have the opportunity to observe a Warbler in your own garden, you can count yourself lucky and will also be rewarded with a very lovely song. How to recognize the willow hornet, how to tell it apart from the chiffchaff and how to offer it an attractive home you can find out here in our large profile – with pictures and other exciting ones Information.

Fitis: profile

size	About 11-13 cm
Weight	About 10g
breeding season	May - July
lifespan	About 5 years
habitat	Light forests, parks and gardens
feed preference	insects and other small animals
threats	decline in food and habitat

This is how you recognize the Fitis

Warblers are rather inconspicuous garden birds. The back, head and elytra are of an olive green color and stand in slight contrast to the light, yellow-tinged underside. The only distinctive feature of the Willow is a yellow stripe above the eyes, which together with a yellowish cheek patch frames a dark eye stripe. Unfortunately, male and female warblers cannot be distinguished visually.

How do you distinguish Willow Willow Ward and Chiffchaff?

The two bird species willow hornets and chiffchaff are visually very difficult to tell apart. As a rule, however, warblers have light-colored, orange-colored legs, while those of the chiffchaff are dark. In addition, the Willow Warbler has, on average, a longer and lighter eye stripe, which makes the overall facial markings appear clearer than that of the Chiffchaff. However, these distinguishing features can vary greatly and are not always clearly recognizable depending on the lighting conditions. Fitis and chiffchaff can therefore best be distinguished by their song: During the fitis, a melodic, Having a warbling song, the chiffchaff sings its own name in a two-syllable, loud voice "Zilp-zalp-zip-zalp".

What does Fitis singing sound like?

Warblers have an extremely lovely, clearly recognizable song. This consists of a short stanza of bright, clear whistles that begins quickly and then drops in pitch, ending in a few, more drawn out notes. In addition to singing, the Fitis also has a reputation: "Hu-itt". However, this second bird call is less distinct and can easily be confused with other bird calls.

This is how the Fitis song sounds:

How do you recognize a willow juvenile?

Young warblers already look confusingly similar to their adult role models. On average, however, the young birds have a higher proportion of yellow feathers. While in the adult animals the breast is mainly yellow and the feathers on the belly turn a dirty white, young birds are yellow on the entire underside.

What do fitis eggs look like?

Fitis females lay between four and seven eggs. These are about 1.4 centimeters in size, have a whitish base color and are covered with numerous light brown speckles. The eggs are laid in a nest made of moss, grass, twigs and other plant matter, which is lined with fine feathers and hair.

Which habitat does the willow prefer?

Warblers prefer semi-open habitats with areas of dense vegetation. They live in light deciduous and mixed forests, meadow orchards, agricultural areas with hedges or small groups of trees, large parks and wild, structured gardens.

Where does the fitis build its nest?

The willow builds its nest in hedges, shrubs and other low vegetation. The nest itself is usually covered and has a side entrance - similar to a small oven. It is built very far down in the bushes, sometimes directly on the ground. Since it can be easy prey for cats and other nest robbers, the nest is preferably hidden in very wild and dense vegetation.

When is the Willow Fiti breeding season?

The main breeding season of the willow lasts from May to July. During this time, most breeding pairs create one, rarely a second brood. The eggs are incubated for 12 to 14 days after they are laid. After the young birds have hatched, they are fed as so-called "nestlings" for another 14 days in the nest. After that, they do their first explorations in their surroundings and, as "fledglings", are supported by their parents in their search for food for a while before they are left to their own devices.

Where does the fitis spend the winter?

Since warblers feed mainly on insects, they lack the basic food supply in winter. That is why the lively singers leave their breeding areas in the late spring and head south. They travel long distances to meet their food needs, eventually wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. In spring they start their return journey and can be found with us again in May at the latest.

Supporting Fitis in the garden: That's how it works

In our intensively used landscape, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the willow eater to find suitable habitats. Therefore, the songbirds often switch to habitats close to people, such as parks or gardens. Here you can find out how you can make your own garden fitis-friendly and offer the magnificent singers a home.

What do Will Warblers eat?

Warblers feed mainly on insects, which they collect from leaves or twigs in their hopping flight. There are also other small animals such as spiders or molluscs on the menu, as well as berries and fruits. On the other hand, you cannot lure the small birds with birdseed in the form of grains or seeds – especially since they leave us in the late year anyway and a classic winter feeding therefore has no effect would have.

But that doesn't mean there's no other way to help the songbirds. With the design of a insect friendly gardenyou can still ensure a plentiful supply of food. You can do this quickly and easily with our, for example Plantura beneficial insect magnet, which attracts a large number of small garden visitors and provides a natural food source for birds.

Which nesting aids are suitable for the Fitis?

As classic free breeders, warblers prefer to build their nests themselves. A nesting box is therefore of no help to the small songbirds. These are more for semi-cave and cave breeders, like blue tits or Redstarts, suitable. You can therefore better support the warblers by offering natural nesting sites, for example bushes or hedges that reach the ground. Also, be careful not to cut back such shrubs too much, as Warblers need dense vegetation to protect their nests from intruders.

How can you provide additional support for Fitis?

The intensive use of our landscape and the subsequent decline in food and habitat have been making life difficult for wild bird populations in recent years. If you want to counteract this development, you can campaign for a sustainable and structured design of our landscape. Of course you can start in your own garden. For example, refrain from using chemical sprays, as these reduce the insect supply and can even poison birds via the food chain.

Another insectivore that can only be found here in summer and fills the air with its lovely song is the blackcap. Get to know this garden bird better in our next species portrait.