Mediterranean Short-toed Lark (Alaudala rufescens)
Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides)
Small lark with short, blunt bill and markedly streaked breast. The long primary projection is not covered by the tertials, as in (Greater) Short-toed Lark. Upperparts browner, and the dark shoulder patch og GSL is missing. Supercilium reaches all the way to bill-base. Wing-markings diffuse. Flight and behaviour similar to GSL. Sometimes performs song flight in characteristic "slow motion".
Sound:Contact call most diagnostic. A drawn, rattling "prrrrrrrt". Longer than in GSL, and less defined. Last syllable (t) accented and with a lower pitch. Song more continuous than in GSL, with a jerky rhythm and lots of mimicry. Listen for the interweaved contact calls.
Contact call, song:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCAll white wingtips like Glaucous Gull. Told apart from latter by rounded head, longer wings and shorter, more slender bill. Bill shorter than half the length of head, and lacks prominent hook. Primaries extends well past tail in sitting birds, and the whole rear of the bird seem slimmer. Eye bigger than in Glaucous Gull, with a more "gentle" expression. Comparison with nearby Herring Gulls fruitful. Iceland Gull often smaller than Herring Gull, and less heavy, while Glaucous Gull usually larger. Impression reinforced by Iceland's agile maneuvering.
Sound:Like Herring Gull, but tone sharper.
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