Appearance:

A small wader with yellowish legs and short, almost straight, dark bill with pale base. Noticeably smaller than Dunlin, and with shorter and straighter bill. Similar in size to Little Stint, but legs light yellowish, tail longer with white edges and markings on back quite plain. Clear divide between markings of breast and white underparts. Juveniles with prominent scale-pattern on back. Upperparts of adults in winter plumage more evenly grey, lacking the star shaped spots of summer. Prefers fresh or brackish waters, even on migration.

Sound:

Call a hard, thin, ringing "trrrrrr". Song a cyclic series of variations on the call; "trrrrrrrr" rising and falling in pitch. Often sustained for several minutes at a time.

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-sound:maudoc, 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