Appearance:

Large, stocky Calidris. Easily identified when direct size-comparison with congeners possible. Elongated body shape and short legs. Bill robust, short and straight. Summer plumage: Upperparts speckled in brown and grey, underparts warm rufous brown, like Curlew Sandpiper. Legs dark. Winter- and juvenile plumage: Pale grey upperparts (scaly pattern in juveniles), and white belly. Legs greenish in both juveniles and winter-plumaged adults. Note pale grey rump and uniformly grey tail in flight. Wing-bars less prominent than in Sanderling.

Sound:

Most commonly heard migratory call, a short "kut" or "knot". Sometimes given in stuttering series. Song an undulating, nasal mewing "poooor-mee", or "po-hor-mee".

Contact call, song:

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

CC-sounds:Stein Ø. Nilsen, XC317787. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/317787.

Appearance:

Differs from Herring Gull in smaller size, lighter bill and light flight. Head profile rounded, and the small bill lacks the red spot of the larger gulls. Told apart from Kittwake by greenish legs and large white spot on wing tips. Juveniles quite similar to young Ring-billed Gulls, but latter have paler grey back, heavier, pinkish bill with dark tip, pale mid-wing panel and less contrasting terminal band of tail.

Sound:

Various mewing sounds. Similar in form to Herring Gull, but much higher pitched.

Call:

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