Great Snipe (Gallinago media)
Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)
Underparts almost completely barred. Prominent white edges to primary and secondary coverts. Shorter bill than Common Snipe, with stockier body, but slightly longer wings and legs. Less obvious trailing white edge to secondaries in flight. Corners of tail white (obvious when landing). Usually flies only a short distance and in a straight line after being flushed. Bill held in straighter angle than Snipe in flight.
Sound:Sometimes utters a faint grunt when flushed, but is generally silent when not lekking. Display call unique: A bubbling, clappering and whistling sequence that accelerates into a crescendo followed by a decrescendo.
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
CCSlate grey upperparts with barred white underparts. Female and juvenile sometimes rufous brown. Male with defined grey breast in contrast to barred white belly, female with diffusely barred chest and throat. Yellow iris and thin bill. Wings and tail long and slender, often giving the impression of a small falcon. Often perches with a more horizontal posture than hawks or falcons, i.e. tail pointing backwards and not towards the ground, and drooping wings. In flight wings are not raise above horizontal plane, and it seldom glides like raptors.
Sound:Song: the well known disyllabic "cuck-coo" with emphasis on first note, and the second note a third lower than the first one. Also a harsh "tchaa tchaa", and a bubbly trill, reminiscent of Little Grebe, uttered by the female.
Male:
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