Common chiffchaff see", since this genus comprises species that spend much of their time feeding in trees, while "collybita" is a corruption of "kollubistes", "money changer", the song being likened to the jingling of coins. The common chiffchaff is a small, dumpy, 10–12 centimetres (4 in) long leaf warbler. The male weighs 7–8 grammes (0.28–0.31 oz), and the female 6–7 grammes (0.25–0.28 oz). The spring adult of the western nominate subspecies " P. c. collybita" has brown-washed dull green upperparts, off-white underparts becoming yellowish on the flanks, and a short whitish supercilium. It has dark legs, a fine dark bill, and short
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,