Common chiffchaff obvious wing bars; they include the willow, Bonelli's, wood and plain leaf warblers. The common chiffchaff has three still commonly accepted subspecies, together with some from the Iberian Peninsula, the Canary Islands, and the Caucasus which are now more often treated as full species. The common chiffchaff's English name is onomatopoeic, referring to the repetitive "chiff-chaff" song of the European subspecies. There are similar names in some other European languages, such as the Dutch "Tjiftjaf", the German "Zilpzalp" and Welsh "siff-saff". The binomial name is of Greek origin; "Phylloscopus" comes from "phyllon"/φυλλον, "leaf", and "skopeo"/σκοπεω, "to look at" or "to
Canary Islands chiffchaff the nest is a spherical structure with a side entrance and is place near the ground in coastal scrub but higher (8m plus) up in the laurisilva. The clutch is 2-5 eggs and most pairs are triple brooded. When not breeding they are more sociable in the autumn and the winter when it forms small flocks. The post-breeding moult is usually completed by late July. The Canary Islands chiffchaff spends much of its time foraging for its insect food among foliage from ground level up to the tree canopy, although it will also sometimes hover glean and fly catch.It is