Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)
A beautiful, very pale owl with a diagnostic, heart-shaped face and black eyes. Underparts white to buff. Buff-bellied individuals most likely to be confused with other owls, but note lack of barring and streaking. Instead the underparts may be covered in small spots. Underwing almost white. The white bellied birds may recall the much larger Snowy Owl, but has much slender wings, slender body, longer legs and protruding head. Posture upright, both on ground and when perched. Flight-pattern variable, but often hunts from low above ground in slow and buoyant flight.
Sound:Large repertoire of mainly hissing and screeching sounds. Song consists of a single, drawn screech, lasting about a second and is often performed in flight. Starting in a very hoarse tone, then progressing with a rising pitch into a more burbling sound, before suddenly ending.
Song:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCSmallest bird of Western Palearctic. Crown stripe yellow in female, orange in male. Since bird is often viewed from below, the crown stripe is often not visible. The dark eye with the large, pale grey eye-ring is a better character. Pale wingbars and pale tips of tertials. No supercilium. Behaviour essentially tit-like. Restlessly moving among branches in treetops, with frequent hovering to get at insects.
Sound:Contact call a very high pitched "zit zit zit", only similar to Firecrest and treecreepers. Treecreepers usually calls with longer "zzzziiiiit" repeated at regular intervals, while Goldcrest calls in phrases with two to four calls in series in an uneven rhythm. Firecrest contact calls lower pitched than Goldcrest, and in a softer tone (but quite similar). Song: a very high-pitched, undulating series of arpeggiated notes moving down and up again, repeated 4-5 times ending with a marked "conclusion" (like "trying to start a tiny motor and failing"). Timbre of song similar to contact call.
Song:
Distribution:
Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CC