Iberian Chiffchaff

About the Iberian Chiffchaff

The Iberian chiffchaff (Phylloscopus ibericus) is a species of passerine belonging to the family Phylloscopidae, the leaf warblers. This species is found as a breeding bird in southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa. It winters in western Africa south of the Sahara Desert.

The Iberian chiffchaff was first distinguished as separate from the common chiffchaff (P. collybita) in 1871 by the German ornithologist Eugen Ferdinand von Homeyer who named it as the subspecies P. c. brehmi. However, when the holotype of P. c. brehmi was re-examined it was found to actually be an example of common chiffchaff which rendered Homeyer's name invalid. It was then decided to use the name P. c. ibericus proposed by the English ornithologist Claud B. Ticehurst in 1937 with its type locality given as Paul d'Argila, near Coimbra in Portugal. As of 2016, it is recognised as a separate species under the name Phylloscopus ibericus

The genus name Phylloscopus is from Ancient Greek phullon, "leaf", and skopos, "seeker" (from skopeo, "to watch"). The specific ibericus is Latin for "Iberian". The name "chiffchaff" is onomatopoeic, referring to the repetitive chiff-chaff song... Wikipedia →