Common chiffchaff and generally pale legs. Bonelli's warbler ("P. bonelli)" might be confused with the common chiffchaff subspecies "tristis", but it has a plain face and green in the wings. The common chiffchaff also has rounded wings in flight, and a diagnostic tail movement consisting of a dip, then sidewards wag, that distinguishes it from other "Phylloscopus" warblers and gives rise to the name "tailwagger" in India. Perhaps the greatest challenge is distinguishing non-singing birds of the nominate subspecies from Iberian chiffchaff in the field. In Great Britain and the Netherlands, all accepted records of vagrant Iberian chiffchaffs relate to singing males.
Canary Islands chiffchaff and a longer tail. Its underparts have a brownish-buff tone, especially on the flanks and breast, and the upperparts are darker brown than the common chiffchaff. Many calls are similar to the common chiffchaff but the song lacks the metronomic quality of that species and is harsher, shorter and more varied and with a faster delivery. The Canary Islands chiffchaff occurs in most habitats from coastal gardens to high altitude vegetation but is absent from semi-desert scrub at lower altitudes. In the breeding period, January to June, the Canary Islands chiffchaff is territorial and is found singly or in pairs,