chiffchaff

[chif-chaf, -chahf]

noun

1. a common, greenish Old World warbler, Phylloscopus collybita.

chiffchaff

/ ˈtʃɪfˌtʃæf /

noun

1. a common European warbler, Phylloscopus collybita, with a yellowish-brown plumage

Word History and Origins

Origin of chiffchaff¹

First recorded in 1770–80; gradational compound; imitative

Word History and Origins

Origin of chiffchaff¹

C18: imitative of its call

Example Sentences

A grey partridge can be seen waiting for more chicks to hatch, while tucked away in its nest built out of tightly woven grass is a chiffchaff.

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In Europe, the cuckoo, blackcap, wren and chiffchaff fly up the list.

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Many resident bird species are rising in numbers; as are short-distance migrants such as the blackcap and chiffchaff.

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Elf, who goes by a teenage nickname that stuck, says if the show, “ChiffChaff”, has a serious approach to economics, it is to give the audience “a new relationship to that word”.

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He was the first person to identify the chiffchaff, willow warbler and woodwarbler as three distinct species based on their songs.

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