Appearance:

Small and short-winged Sylvia with large head and high crown. In all plumages; evenly warm rufous wing-panel (lacking dark centered greater coverts of Whitethroat), very short primary projection, dark tail, thin pointed bill, narrow dark centres to tertials, pure white chin and (incomplete) white eye-ring. Adult male with lead-grey head, dark/black lore and often grey lower throat. Female and immature differs from Whitethroat by short primary projection, smaller size, slender build and thinner bill. Told from immature Subalpine Warbler by warmer rufous wings with only narrow dark centres to tertials.

Sound:

Alarm call a dry, mechanical rattle; "trrrrrrrrrrrt", often rather long, but also given in pulses "trrrrrt-trrrt-trrrrrrrrr". More confluent and softer than similar call of Sardinian Warbler. Song rather weak and squeaky, but may be confused with several congeners. It typically starts with a few fluting notes then quickly giving way to fast alternating between clear tones and rattling pulses of "trrrrt". Phrases are short with marked pauses in between, and the structure is quite fixed even though each phrase is slightly different (in contrast to Sardinian and Subalpine Warbler). Sometimes bursts out in longer, more continuos flight-song.

Song:

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

CC

CC-photo:Paul Cools, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Helen Commandeur, 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