Willow Warbler

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Habitat and behaviour

Habitat: Scrub, young woodland (summer).
Diet: Insects.
Best time to spot: Descending sweet song; pale legs.

When to look

A summer visitor, typically in the UK from April to September. Numbers peak in May. See the May birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in Bird migration in Britain.

Taller bars mean more birds about. Grey means it is usually absent.

How rare is it?

The Willow Warbler sits in our Common tier for the UK: one of the birds you can expect on most days out in the right habitat. It is Amber-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the middle level of concern in the UK.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Common ChiffchaffCommon · Woodland
• Wood WarblerUncommon · Mature oak/beech woodland (summer)
• Arctic WarblerRare · Coastal scrub (vagrant)
• Dusky WarblerRare · Coastal scrub (autumn vagrant)
• Eastern Crowned WarblerLegendary · Coastal scrub (very rare)
• Green WarblerLegendary · Coastal scrub (extreme vagrant)

Tell it apart

Side-by-side ID guides: Chiffchaff vs Willow Warbler.

Kit that helps

Bird ID starter kit. Affiliate links, our own picks, no extra cost to you.