Willow warbler
Phylloscopus trochilus (Linnaeus, 1758)
The willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), also called the willow wren, is a bird in the family Phylloscopidae, part of the songbirds and other perching birds. It is a tiny bird with an adult body mass of 8.7 g, up to 9.2 g, and a wingspan of 19 cm.
Quick facts about the willow warbler
This migratory invertivore lives in forest habitat, has a perching lifestyle and a geographic range of 15,840,000 km². Its eggs incubate for 14 days, clutches hold 6.23 eggs with 1.5 clutches per year, and its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.
- Weight
- 8.7 g – 9.2 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 19 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 10.8 years – 11.8 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 14 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 5.7 – 6.23src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1.5src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the willow warbler?
Photos of the willow warbler
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
_-_Spiekeroog,_Nationalpark_Nieders%C3%A4chsisches_Wattenmeer.jpg){kind=link}
_2019.jpg){kind=link}
_2020.jpg){kind=link}
Where does the willow warbler live?
Not recorded
What is the willow warbler?
The willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) is a very common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic, from Ireland east to the Anadyr River basin in eastern Siberia. It is strongly migratory, with almost all of the population wintering in sub-Saharan Africa.
It is a bird of open woodlands with trees and ground cover for nesting, including most importantly birch, alder, and willow habitats. The nest is usually built in close contact with the ground, often in low vegetation. Like most Old World warblers (Sylviidae), this small passerine is insectivorous. In northern Europe, it is one of the first warblers to return in the spring, though later than the closely related chiffchaff. In spite of its small size, the willow warbler performs one of the longest migrations of any animal.
From the Wikipedia article “Willow warbler” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Willow_warbler&oldid=1361144628), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the willow warbler sound like?
Is the willow warbler endangered?
The willow warbler is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the willow warbler classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyPhylloscopidae
- genusPhylloscopus
- SpeciesPhylloscopus trochilus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Curruca viridula, Ficedula asilus, Ficedula fitis, Ficedula trochilus, Motacilla fitis, Motacilla trochilus, Phyllopneuste acredula septentrionalis, Phyllopneuste arborea, Phyllopneuste fitis, Phyllopneuste gracilis, Phyllopneuste major, Phyllopneuste septentrionalis, Phyllopneuste trochilus, Phyllopseuste trochilus, Phylloscopus gaetkei, Phylloscopus trochilus fitis, Regulus trochilus, Sylvia angusticauda, Sylvia fitis, Sylvia flaviventris, Sylvia icterina, Sylvia melodia, Sylvia sibillatrix, Sylvia sylvicola, Sylvia tamaricis, Sylvia tamarixis, Sylvia trochilus, Sylvicola trochilus
Other names and names in other languages (102)
- Willow wrenEnglish
- HofsangerAfrikaans
- النقشارةArabic
- نقشارة الصفصافArabic
- هازجة الصفصافArabic
- Pioyín de RíuAsturian
- pioyina bardayeraAsturian
- Bahar yarpaqgüdəniAzerbaijani
- ТөйөтBashkir
- Пячураўка-будаўнічокBelarusian
- Пячураўка-будаўнiчокBelarusian
- Брезов певецBulgarian
- Puig-halegBreton
- mosquiter de passaCatalan
- амашкекMari
- Ҫурхи чие кайӑкӗChuvash
- budníček většíCzech
- Telor HelygWelsh
- telor yr helygWelsh
- Telorion yr HelygWelsh
- LøvsangerDanish
- FitisGerman
- FitislaubsängerGerman
- ΘαμνογιαννούδιGreek
- ΘαμνοφυλλοσκόποςGreek
- FitisoEsperanto
- salika filoskopoEsperanto
- Mosquitero musicalSpanish
- salu-lehelindEstonian
- Txio horiBasque
- سسک بیدی معمولیPersian
- pajulintuFinnish
- uunilintuFinnish
- LeyvljómariFaroese
- pouillot fitisFrench
- Pouillot chantreFrench
- Letj fleegenbitjerNorthern Frisian
- Lytse hôfsjongerWestern Frisian
- Ceolaire sailíIrish
- Crionag ghiuthaisScottish Gaelic
- crìonag-ghiuthaisScottish Gaelic
- crìonagan-giuthaisScottish Gaelic
- Picafollas musicalGalician
- Drean baneManx
- Kiaulleyder shelleeManx
- עלווית אפורהHebrew
- fitiszfüzikeHungarian
- Գարնանային գեղգեղիկArmenian
- Գարնանային Գեղգեղիկ (Garnanayin Geghgeghik)Armenian
- LaufsöngvariIcelandic
- Luì grossoItalian
- キタヤナギムシクイJapanese
- キタヤナギムシクイ (Kitayanagi mushi-kui)Japanese
- ყარანა-გაზაფხულაGeorgian
- ЦӀужьомэKabardian
- Көктем сарықасKazakh
- Кєктем сайрауығыKazakh
- Көктем сарықасыKazakh
- 연노랑솔새Korean
- 연노랑눈솔새Korean
- Telor helykCornish
- Niinikwn
- FittisLuxembourgish
- FavetLimburgish
- ankstyvoji pečialindaLithuanian
- vītītisLatvian
- Vītītes ķauķisLatvian
- Брезов пејачMacedonian
- брезов свиркачMacedonian
- വില്ലോ കുരുവിMalayalam
- Vjolin PastardMaltese
- Ногоон дуучшувууMongolian
- ZomerzangerDutch
- lauvsongarNorwegian Nynorsk
- Démouaîsellenrm
- piecuszekPolish
- felosa-musicalPortuguese
- Fegliarel musicantRomansh
- Pitulice fluierătoareRomanian
- Pitulicea fluierătoareRomanian
- Пеночка-весничкаRussian
- Пиночка звычайнаRusyn
- Riiddu rossuSicilian
- MuffieScots
- RievssatcizašNorthern Sami
- RievssatcizášNorthern Sami
- sieđgavizarNorthern Sami
- kolibiarik spevavýSlovak
- severni kovačekSlovenian
- TimbaShona
- Pilipili-sa-mabeleteSouthern Sotho
- fishkëllyesi gushëverdhëAlbanian
- Brezov zviždakSerbian
- Брезов звиждакSerbian
- lövsångareSwedish
- söğüt bülbülüTurkish
- Часкы ыраажывайTuvinian
- вівчарик веснянийUkrainian
- Chích liễuVietnamese
- UnothoyiXhosa
- 欧柳莺Chinese
- 歐亞柳鶯Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the willow warbler
Other species in the same genus Phylloscopus.
Common chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybita
Greenish warbler
Phylloscopus trochiloides
Yellow-browed warbler
Phylloscopus inornatus
Pallas's warbler
Phylloscopus proregulus
Arctic warbler
Phylloscopus borealis
Dusky warbler
Phylloscopus fuscatus
CompareWillow warbler vs Common chiffchaffWillow warbler vs Greenish warblerWillow warbler vs Yellow-browed warblerWillow warbler vs Pallas's warbler
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the willow warbler?
The willow warbler is a bird in the family Phylloscopidae, within the songbirds and other perching birds.
How much does a willow warbler weigh?
An adult willow warbler weighs 8.7 g, with up to 9.2 g reported. It is classed as tiny, with an adult body mass under 10 g.
What does the willow warbler eat?
The willow warbler is an invertivore, placing it at the carnivore trophic level.
Is the willow warbler endangered?
No. The willow warbler is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a willow warbler live?
The willow warbler has a lifespan of 10.83 years, with up to 11.8 years reported.
How many eggs does a willow warbler lay?
A willow warbler clutch holds 6.23 eggs, with 1.5 clutches per year. The eggs incubate for 14 days.
Is the willow warbler migratory?
Yes, the willow warbler is migratory. It lives in forest habitat.
Who named the willow warbler?
The willow warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus, was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/willow-warbler
“Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/willow-warbler.
@misc{willow_warbler_2026,
title = {Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/willow-warbler},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}