Species:

Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)

Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

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Main Images:
Length (cm):
25-29
25-27
Wingspan (cm):
40-45
44-47
Weight (gram):
140-193
80-140
Size group:
Thrush-size
Thrush-size
Main Texts:
Appearance:

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:

Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file


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:

By far the most common snipe in most areas. Bill longer than congeners. Belly white, in contrast to barred flanks. Upperparts of wings with white trailing edge, underparts with white wingbars. Diagnostic escape flight when flushed, with zig-zag change of direction, characteristic call and long period of circling the area before landing (or leaving altogether).

Sound:

Quite vocal, especially at breeding ground. Almost always give diagnostic hoarse and nasal "kaaat" call when flushed. Song an unmistakable bleating, drumming sound produced by vibrating tail feathers in sky-dives. Another territorial call is a rhythmic, mechanical and sharp "tika-tika-tka", or "ika-ka-ka".

Display, flush:

Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file


Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

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

Similar species (image):
Similar species (sound):
Silhouette Group:
Loons/grebes
Silhouette
Waders
Silhouette
Several different images of the species
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ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
Several different sounds of the species
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file