Appearance:

Light grey upperparts, black wings and tail with white patches, white underparts and throat. Broad, black eyestripe not reaching above highest point of bill. Bill long and medium heavy (not as heavy as in Lesser GS). White patch at base of primaries varies according to subspecies. Black part of tail most narrow at base. Juveniles less pure in colour, with faintly barred underparts and buff fringes to greater coverts.

Sound:

Alarm call very harsh, nasal and noisy. Dry and not as deep or resonant as crows. Song varied. During breeding season a varied subdued song is heard from both sexes. Territorial call before breeding starts is simple, loud and resonant. Consisting of pleasant sounding single or double syllables, with well defined pauses and peculiar harmonics.

Territorial call/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

Sounds:Recorded by Jarek Matusiak,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license

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