Serin (Serinus serinus)
Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)
Small and compact, green and yellow bird. Smaller than Linnet and Siskin, with heavily streaked flanks, and stubby, deep and grey bill. Rump yellow in adults, but immature birds lack yellow tones in plumage altogether. Wing-bars narrow and much less marked than in Siskin, forehead in males bright yellow. Fairly long-winged with deeply forked tail. Flight light and bouncing. Song-flight of male characteristic, with butterfly-like gliding and slow-motion wing-beats.
Sound:Song a hectic, jingling, continuous trill, like the pouring of broken glass. The highest notes are constantly modulated to form vague motifs. Timbre comparable to Corn Bunting. Ringing trill also used as contact call, with slightly falling pitch "trrilrlitlitlit". Alarm call a short, redpoll-like "weee-eeet", with an accented high-pitched middle part.
Contact call, song:
Distribution:
Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCSmall member of the thrush family, with erect posture and large head. Distinct white or buff supercilium in all plumages. Base of primaries shiny white in adults, especially adult male. Coarsely spotted buff rump. Base of tail with white triangular patches. Juveniles with white speckles on upperparts and whitish throat. Lacks the white base of primaries, but supercilium bold.
Sound:Contact call resembles many of it relatives. A short, soft "peeu", followed by a hard "check" (like hitting two rocks together). The "peeu"-sound is depper and more resonant than similar sounds by Wheatear and Stonechat. Song variable with lots of mimicry. The short phrases starts with dry, rattling or sneering trills, followed by clear whistling notes and expert mimicry. More varied, both in tone and tempo, than both Stonechat and Wheatear.
Song:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CC