Common chiffchaff the male has little involvement in nesting, but defends his territory against rivals, and attacks potential predators. A small insectivorous bird, it is subject to predation by mammals, such as cats and mustelids, and birds, particularly hawks of the genus "Accipiter". Its large range and population mean that its status is secure, although one subspecies is probably extinct. The British naturalist Gilbert White was one of the first people to separate the similar-looking common chiffchaff, willow warbler and wood warbler by their songs, as detailed in 1789 in "The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne", but the common chiffchaff was
Birds, Beasts, and Relatives the huge success of "My Family". Durrell wrote "Birds, Beasts and Relatives" primarily to raise money for his animal-collecting expeditions. "Birds, Beasts, and Relatives", like "My Family and Other Animals," offers a series of autobiographical anecdotes from the Durrell family's five-year sojourn on the Greek island of Corfu between 1935 and 1939. The youngest child, Gerald was aged ten when his widowed mother moved her family to accompany her eldest son Lawrence Durrell and his wife Nancy from Bournemouth to Corfu. He had another older brother, Leslie, and older sister Margaret, often referred to as "Margo." He does not present