Appearance:

Small falcon recalling both Kestrel and Hobby at a distance, but most likely to be confused with latter. Adult male unmistakable with ashy grey plumage and rufous red "trousers". Colour of trousers not always obvious, but silvery upperwing often visible in flashes at distance. Adult female also distinct with almost unstreaked buff underparts and under wing-coverts, buff neck and crown, dark mask and white cheeks. Immature most likely to be confused with Hobby but differs in barred upper side of tail, pale forehead, white (half)collar, contrasting dark trailing edge to wing and more striking fringes to coverts. Underparts also less heavy streaked. Flight profile similar to Hobby but tail slightly longer and more rounded. Hunts insects in flight, but in contrast to Hobby, hovers frequently and with deeper wingbeats than Kestrel.

Sound:

Flight call very similar to Hobby, a wryneck-like series of "kew kew kew kew", each call falling rapidly in pitch. Sometimes given in a harsher more staccato version. Very vocal at colony with various squeaky and whimpering begging calls.

Flight call:

Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

CC-sound:Tomas Belka, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Jan Thomas Landgren, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Paul Cools, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Paul Cools, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Jan Thomas Landgren, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Male unmistakable. Blue throat with rufous red or white center, white supercilium and rufous base of outer tail feathers. Female lacking, or having just a partially blue throat. Female and juveniles could be confused with Redstart because of the rufous tail, but note its dark, bold trailing edge and center. An elegant and fairly long-legged chat that often flicks its wings and cocks its tail.

Sound:

Song: Structure slightly similar to Nightingale, but tone much thinner and less full-bodied. A good impersonator and various imitations are interwoven among metallic, ringing sounds to form a complex, intriguing song. Call: "pju-check". Double syllable starting as a descending whistle, and ending on a short "check".

Song:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC