Appearance:

Unmistakable. Very small, mouselike bird with short rounded wings, short neck and upright tail. Upperparts chestnut brown and finely barred. Underparts light buff. Forages in thick undergrowth and low bushes, crevices and holes for insects. Easily overlooked, but betrays its presence by its big voice. One of the smallest bird in northern Europe.

Sound:

Song surprisingly loud. A high-pitched stream of clear notes resembling Robin and Dunnock in timbre. Differs from those in showing frequent shifts in pitch with much larger register than Dunnock, and by the unique, numerous, interspersed long trills. Warning call a short hard "teck", like banging two rocks together. Often repeated in series when excited to form machine-gun-like "firing".

Alarm call, 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

Appearance:

All 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

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

CC