Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia)
Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)
Heavily streaked sparrow with diagnostic combination of broad, strong supercilium and white spots at end of tail. Bill deep and cone-shaped with yellow to pinkish base. Primary projection very long. End of under tail coverts pale, giving the bird a broadly barred rump. The white pearls on the short tail and the long wings are conspicuous in flight. Adults with yellow throat-patch, although this is often hidden in many postures. Agile flight, much superior to Passer with regards to both speed and maneuverability.
Sound:Large repertoire of calls of which many recalls Passer, but all with a nasal timbre. Main contact call a nasal "peey-u", rising sharply in pitch and then ending one note lower on the last syllable. Recalls alarm call of Serin in timbre. Sometimes given with only the first syllable. Also a short and explosive "pit", and many less distinct calls when interacting.
Main contact call:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
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