Rosy Starling (Pastor roseus)
Razorbill (Alca torda)
Adults at close range unmistakable with their striking pink and shiny black plumage and crest. In flight note the pale back in contrast to the black head and wings. Head profile quite different from Starling. Bill considerably shorter and slightly down-curved. Forehead flatter and head more rounded when crest is not erect. Immature birds more anonymous, with brownish upperparts, pale belly and darker brown wings with pale fringed coverts and flight feathers. Bill yellowish with darker tip and legs flesh coloured. Very gregarious and immature vagrants usually seeks company with European Starling. Then easily spotted as a much paler bird. Especially the rump stands out in flight. European Starling sometimes show pale plumage but can then be identified by bill shape. Forages with less rapid head movements than ES.
Sound:Starling-like timbre, higher pitched and not so harsh as E. Starling. At the same time less musical with few pure notes. Song consist mostly of short and sharp "veet" and various thin, noisy whistles, delivered in accelerating bursts reminiscent of Barn Swallow or E. Starling. Often perceived more like a constant din from roosting flocks.
Song:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCAt a distance quite similar to Guillemot. Bill deep, rectangular and with white markings. Flanks unstreaked and armpits white. Tail longer than in Guillemot, with legs not protruding behind tail in flight. Tail often held clear of the surface when swimming. Cheeks white in winter, with broad, short and black eye stripe. Neck collar short and wide. Upperparts blacker, and underparts whiter than Guillemot. Heavy neck, head and bill, in combination with the long tail, gives it a front heavy, and different profile from Guillemot, whether perched, swimming or flying. Top of head in line with tip of uptilted bill when swimming.
Sound:Very coarse and deep voice. Grunting or snore-like, with little phrasing. Mostly heard at breeding ground, but also sometimes at sea.
Contact call:
Distribution:
Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCSounds:Recorded by Simon Elliott,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license