Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Summer plumage unmistakable, with black underparts framed in white, with white and grey-speckled upperparts. Diagnostic in all plumages are the black armpits, which are clearly visible in flying birds. Also shows white wing-bars and very pale tail, with some barring. Winter-plumaged and juvenile birds speckled in grey with white underparts. Can be mistaken for Golden Plover. Especially the juveniles, which may have faint golden tone to plumage. Note instead heavier bill with swollen tip and bulkier body.
Sound:Contact call diagnostic. A plaintive, drawn and trisyllabic (but continuous) "kleeooowee". Pitch falls on second syllable and rises on last.
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
CCCC-photo:bathyporeia, Licence,Link.CC-sound:Paul Marvin, Licence,Link.
Small, dark grebe with bright yellow gape, short neck and bill. Winter plumage paler than summer, with chestnut flanks, neck and cheeks, giving much less contrast between upper- and underparts than in Slavonian Grebe. Fluffy, pale stern. No crest or tufts/tippets and no white markings on wings.
Sound:Relatively vocal compared to many other grebes. Call; sometimes a single quite clear high pitched "dydlylyyt". More often combined into longer phrases with harsher quality, oscillating like laughter and travelling up and down in pitch in agitated motion. Reminiscent of female Cuckoo.
Display:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CC