Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)
Blyth's Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum)
Small martin with dark brown chest-band and white throat. Upperparts dark brown, underparts white. Underside of wings dark. Juveniles with light fringes to brown feathers, and buff throat. Flight more elegant than Barn Swallow and House Martin. Often changes direction but keeps altitude. More fluttering flight than House Martin, with less gliding.
Sound:Contact call a mono- or disyllabic "trrrrt". Similar to House Martin but more raucous and less crisp, with less rolling r's, and with stable pitch throughout. Song a primitive improvisation on the contact call. Alarm call similar to House Martin; a sharp plaintive "tseep", but somewhat purer and more drawn.
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
CCSimilar to Reed Warbler but note very short primary projection, evenly coloured wings with dull tertials. Under tail-coverts almost white, with very little buff tinge. Legs overall darker than congeners. Immature birds with slightly paler legs and warmer upperparts and fringes to flight-feathers. Leaves a slimmer impression than Reed- and Marsh W., with flatter forehead and tapering bill. Posture often Sylvia-like with frequent cocking, flicking and fanning of tail.
Sound:Contact call a short and sharp Lesser Whitethroat-like "tek", different from Mars W. Alarm call a dry, rolling "krrrreet", often with a register break splitting into high register overtones. Song recalls Marsh Warbler in timbre but is generally diagnostic. Tempo slow and deliberate, pace recalling that of Song Thrush, with marked pauses. Typical articulate, arpeggio-like whistling motifs alternated by mimicry are often repeated many times. Daytime song less typical than normal song at night, with faster pace and less repetition.
Song:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCSound recording:Recorded by Edmunds Racinskis