Scaup (Aythya marila)
Merlin (Falco columbarius)
Medium sized diving duck. Male with white sides and light grey,finely mottled back. Female mostly brown with prominent white feathering at base of bill (more white than most female Tufted Ducks), and often a pale cheek patch (sometimes missing in winter plumage). Large rounded head with no hint of tuft. Bill grey with much smaller, narrow, black nail than Tufted Duck. Wings with similar wing stripe as Tufted. Floats low in water.
Sound:Male call carries only a few meters: a whistling "po-ho" last syllable slowly descending. Female calls with harsh "harr-harrr-harrr".
Female:
Distribution:
Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCSounds:Recorded by Patrik Åberg,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license
Smallest falcon. Male with slate grey upperparts, and pinkish buff, speckled underparts . Female dark brown above and heavily speckled below. Due to the extensive markings, the underparts give a darker impression than in Kestrel. Tail of female with dark broad bands, tail of male with broad black terminal band. Diffuse facial markings. Short wings. Silhouette similar to Peregrine, but the much faster wing beats are diagnostic. Acrobatic flight with sharp twist and turns when chasing prey. Alternating glides and bursts of wing-beats gives undulating flight.
Sound:Series of harsh "kwik-wik wik". Coarseness similar to Peregrine, but pace much quicker. Female call harsher than male. Lacking the clearer tones and attack of Kestrel.
Alarm 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
CC