Appearance:

Slightly smaller and less heavy than Willow Ptarmigan. Overall greyer plumage, and a more delicate bill. Male summer with grey upperparts and white underparts. Female summer with browner upperparts than male. Both sexes completely white in winter plumage, except for black lores in males. Wings white and tail feathers black in all plumages in both sexes.

Sound:

Call of male a very distinct "rrrrrrr", being a rattling rapid pulse of clicks, like running a stick along a picket fence. Female has similar sounds, but is higher pitched and not so coarse as male.

Flushed:

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-photo:fveronesi1, Licence,Link,

CC-sound:Peter Boesman, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Breeding plumaged adults with streamers unmistakable (streamers comprising two thirds of total tail length). Adult plumage shows less variation than in other skuas. No hint of breast band, and transition between pale belly and darker vent very diffuse. No white patches at base of primaries of underwing in adults. Juveniles easily confused with juvenile Arctic Skua, but are more slender. Wings narrower and primaries and tail longer. Juvenile Arctic Skua shows white patches at base of primaries on both sides of wings, juvenile Long-tailed only on underwing, and on first few primaries of upper. Barred rump and tail coverts in juveniles. Flight elegant and buoyant.

Sound:

Calls sharp and less full-bodied than Arctic Skua, and not so mewing. Short, double-accented "kew-wev" or short "kerk" in agitation. Also a long drawn-out "keeeeaah", resembling both Arctic Skua and Common Gull.

Alarm/flight 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

Sounds:Recorded by Andrew Spencer,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license