Appearance:

Large and bulky warbler with long tail, heavy, thrush-like bill and relatively strong facial markings. Supercilium broad and strong and continues behind eye. Lores dark. Primary projection same length as tertials. Flanks warm beige. Crest often raised. Flight heavy and jerky, and birds are also much more detectable by moving reeds when foraging about in vegetation than congeners. In the Middle East be aware of confusion species Clamorous Reed Warbler and Basra Reed Warbler.

Sound:

Contact call a grating, dry "kirrrat", where each rolling r is discernable. Song similar to Reed Warbler in timbre, but much deeper and slower. Fairly concise motifs typically consisting of two deep mono- or disyllabic notes followed by a few higher tones. I.e: "kerek kerek, trii trii trii". Clamorous Reed Warbler differs in more diffuse motifs.

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

Sound recording:Recorded by Edmunds Racinskis

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