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Lista Ringed a Record 94 Common Chiffchaffs in Spring 2026

Common chiffchaff perched on a slender branch
Conservation · Population & status

Lista Bird Observatory in Norway ringed 94 common chiffchaffs (Phylloscopus collybita) during its standardized spring season in 2026. The total was 117% above the station’s long-term spring average and the highest number recorded since the monitoring series began in 1990.

The spring report, published on 12 June 2026, covers standardized ringing from 15 March to 10 June. Thirteen mist nets with a combined length of 138 metres were used, although poor weather prevented ringing on 22 days.

Chiffchaffs outnumbered willow warblers for only the second time

Common chiffchaff was the most frequently ringed species during the season, followed by willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) with 82 individuals. This was only the second spring in the station’s monitoring history in which more common chiffchaffs than willow warblers were ringed. Over the long term, Lista has typically ringed about three times as many willow warblers as chiffchaffs in spring.

The contrast was especially marked in 2026: common chiffchaff ringing was 117% above average, while willow warbler ringing was 31% below average.

Observations also reached a record level

The station’s broader observations from January to June showed the same exceptional season for common chiffchaff. The number of individuals recorded was 379% above average and represented another record for the site.

The high common chiffchaff total stood out within a season in which Lista’s overall ringing total was 16% below the current spring average. The spring report gives 676 birds of 44 species, compared with an average of 803. Lista also noted that this reference average has itself fallen as recent spring totals have declined: in 2016 the corresponding average was 1,037 birds. Against that earlier reference, the 2026 total would have been 35% below average.

Lista has monitored spring migration with standardized ringing for decades, making unusually high seasonal totals meaningful within the station’s own long-term series. The 2026 results therefore document an exceptional spring for common chiffchaff at the site within a ringing season that was otherwise below the long-term average.

Sources and image credit

  1. Lista Bird Observatory. (2026, June 12). Report from spring 2026.Primary standardized spring monitoring report. Lista ringed 94 common chiffchaffs in spring 2026, 117% above the long-term spring average and the highest total since the series began in 1990; observations were 379% above average and also set a site record.
  2. Lista Bird Observatory. (2026). Ringing totals 2026 [Data table].Station ringing table confirming 94 common chiffchaffs and 82 willow warblers in the standardized spring 2026 season.

Image: Charles J. Sharp / Wikimedia Commons — common chiffchaff near Kecskemét, Hungary, 10 August 2019; representative species image, not a Lista bird · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

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