# Willow warbler (*Phylloscopus trochilus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/willow-warbler  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 8.7 g – 9.2 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 19 cm |
| Lifespan | 10.8 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 11.8 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Egg incubation | 14 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 5.7 – 6.23 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.5 |
| Lifestyle | Perching |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Passeriformes
- family: Phylloscopidae
- genus: Phylloscopus
- species: *Phylloscopus 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*

## Common questions

### 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

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/willow-warbler