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Key information: The Common Chiffchaff isone of our most abundant winter visitors. It also visits Cyprus on migration and can be seen here from October to April. It is an energetic and vocal little bird, actively flitting among the trees and shrubs with distinctive tail-wagging movements. It has a simple two-note sharp rhythmic song “chiff-chaff-chiff-chaff” – heard on sunny winter days here in Cyprus – and a soft “hweet” call.

Length: 10 – 12 cm

Habitat: Farmland, scrub and bushes, mountains and forests, wetlands

When they can be seen: Autumn, winter, spring

What they eat: Invertebrates

In Cyprus: Can be seen in a variety of habitats, including pine forest, scrub, farmland, near wetlands, parks and in gardens

Status: Passage migrant, winter visitor

Illustration by Paschalis Dougalis