Bird Watching (UK)

I need some help identifyin­g which type of warbler this is please

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QCan you please confirm whether this is a Willow Warbler or a Wood Warbler? Peter Stockton

ALeaf warblers (the small, usually greeny-brown ones in the genus Phylloscop­us) are a tricky group. Of the regular British species, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler are arguably the hardest to separate and Wood Warbler is a tad easier (if you can get a decent look). One thing we can say for certain, is that this is not a Wood Warbler, as the tail is too long and the wings are too short relative to it; the belly is just not pure white enough; and the superciliu­m (pale eyebrow) is not strong enough. This is either a Willow Warbler or Chiffchaff, and it would need a better look at the projection of the primaries of the wing (the pointy flight feathers; longer on Willow than Chiffchaff). However, it ‘looks’ like a Willow Warbler, with the bolder longer superciliu­m of that species. As Dominic Couzens would say, Willow Warbler is ‘high brow’ (eyebrow) and Chiffchaff is ‘riff raff’!

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