Appearance:

Only woodpecker in the region with large, white shoulder patches and missing moustache stripe. Head leaves a pale and gentle impression, since no moustache reaches the bill, and the red crown is not framed in black. Flanks finely streaked. Bill short and slender, which together with the pale head gives it the impression of being markedly smaller than Great Spotted Woodpecker. Outer tail feathers distinclty barred in white. Sexes are similar but the red crown is brighter and reaches further down the neck of males. Crown feathers frequently raised in small crest. Often seen crouching across branches.

Sound:

Song is a series of short, mewing and nasal "peeaa peeaa peeaa ", where each syllable quickly rises in pitch, but the overall phrase is fairly constant. Contact and alarm call consists of a series of short "kitt" sounds, where the first syllable is clearer and distinctly in a higher pitch than the rest of the phrase. Seldom drums.

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

Featherbase

CC

Appearance:

A slim, medium large thrush attached to rocky terrain, mountains or concrete buildings. Differs from Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrust, Monticola saxatilis in all plumages by long bill, and long, dark tail (not rufous). Bill and tail gives the bird an elongated appearance and profile. The tail reaches far behind the primaries when perched. Male unmistakable if seen well, but note that the bluish tones appears dark grey in unfavorable light. First winter males are barred underneath but gradually turns bluer and more evenly coloured. Immatures and females look alike with grey-brown upperparts and barred underparts, and are generally darker in throat and breast than M. saxatilis.

Sound:

Alarm call consists of short, soft whistles. Often two notes in sequence, the second one higher ("pjuu-eee"), and sometimes followed by series of dry "check" sounds. The song is a beautiful, melodious fluting which can be very difficult to distinguish from M. saxatilis. It generally has a more melancholic feel, with more tremulous fluting than the latter, with less lingering in the higher register. The structure is variable and simple, but sometimes more elaborate in song-flight or when including mimicry. Both sexes sing, but male most actively.

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

Featherbase

CC