Common Chiffchaff: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Small but Mighty Flyers · day 6 of 7

Five facts

1. A chiffchaff must eat about a third of its weight in insects each day to fuel migration.
2. A chiffchaff is just 10-12 cm long, and the male weighs only 7-8 g.
3. A male chiffchaff guards a breeding patch about 20 m across, even against predators like stoats.
4. The female chiffchaff incubates her eggs for 13-14 days, then feeds the chicks for 14-15 more days before they leave the nest.
5. Europe alone supports 60-120 million chiffchaffs.

The quiz

1. How much of its weight in insects must a chiffchaff eat each day?

• About a tenth
• Double its weight
• About a third (correct)
• Almost nothing

It must eat about a third of its weight in insects daily.

2. How much does a male chiffchaff weigh?

• 7-8 g (correct)
• 27-28 g
• 70-80 g
• 1-2 g

The male weighs only 7-8 g.

3. Which predator will a male chiffchaff defend its patch against?

• Wolves
• Bears
• Foxes
• Stoats (correct)

He defends it even against predators like stoats.

4. How long does the female incubate the eggs?

• 3-4 days
• 13-14 days (correct)
• 30-40 days
• 6-7 days

She incubates the eggs for 13-14 days.

5. How many chiffchaffs live in Europe alone?

• 60,000 to 120,000
• 6 to 12 million
• 60 to 120 million (correct)
• 600 to 1,200 million

Europe alone supports 60-120 million chiffchaffs.

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