Appearance:

Adults black, or dark grey with big white/off-white, crescent-shaped chest patch. The light grey fringes to the flight-feathers gives the whole wing a silvery look, especially in flight. Juveniles have a more brownish base colour, with lighter scaly underparts and just a vague chest patch. The whole bird gives a more slender impression than Blackbird, and the wings are longer. Flight more determined and direct than in Blackbird.

Sound:

Alarm call a series of "chok-chok". Thicker and more resonant than Redwing. Song a primitive, plaintive series of short phrases. Often with only one or two syllables. Interspersed with eerie, higher pitched sounds, reminiscent of Song Thrush.

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

Appearance:

Small bunting with warm rufous cheeks framed in black. Often with a pale spot hind-cheek, towards the neck. Pale eyering, pale wing-bar, rufous median and black lateral crown-stripe . Bill grey with straight culmen. Easily confused with female Reed Bunting. In addition to mentioned criteria, also note pinkish legs and much paler lores. Sexes more or less alike, but birds with rufous throat and contrasting crown-stripes are usually males.

Sound:

Contact call a sharp and short "zeek". Song pleasant and melodic. Variable phrases with variable tempo. Repeated single notes are frequently interrupted by trills. Timbre rich in harmonics like other buntings.

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

CC

CC-photo:ansel.ma, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Hiyashi Haka, Licence,Link.

Sound:Recorded by Andreas Linden, http://www.xeno-canto.org/ ,CC license