Appearance:

A large, and often shy, thrush. Most similar to Song Thrush. Other than size, it is distinguished by a long tail with white corners, white under wing-coverts and a pale, vertical cheek patch. Underparts are boldly covered in round (not arrow-shaped) spots that forms a dark patch on each side of upper chest. Rump slightly paler than the olive back. Noticeably bulkier than Fieldfare, with a heavier bill. Posture upright when foraging on ground, and head seems paler than the back. Flight non-undulating, but with alternating bursts of wing-beats and glides with folded wings. Often flies high.

Sound:

Song loud, far reaching and melodic. Most similar to Blackbird, but pitch is higher, phrases shorter (3-6 notes) and most notably, pauses between phrases are much shorter. All which gives the song a much more hurried feel than that of the Blackbird. Timbre is thinner and slightly shivering, and tonal range more limited. May have recurring favourite motifs, but does not repeat phrases like Song Thrush. Sometimes adds higher pitched parts and imitations. Other calls; a dry rattle, likened to the sound of a piece of wood drawn over a coarse comb, and a Fieldfare-like "chuck".

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:

Medium sized, green woodpecker with black mask. Crown red in all plumages. Females with black moustache stripe, males with red framed in black. Juveniles heavily marked with small black and white spots all over, and less prominent black mask. Bigger and more heavily built than Grey-headed Woodpecker, with longer and stouter bill. Often foraging on the ground. Flight undulated.

Sound:

Song similar to Grey-headed Woodpecker, but not as soft and fluty. Each phrase consist of a series of short "klee", with a laughing quality. Pitch drops slightly throughout the phrase, but not as markedly as in Grey-headed, and tempo is fairly constant (no ritardando). Short "kek" calls when excited and in flight. Drumming of 1.5 seconds duration with decelerating tempo, but not often heard. Another call is similar to Black Woodpecker; a series of resonant "klit-klit-klit-klit-klit-klit", but is less clear, has a more determined start and has less obvious rising pitch at the end of each syllable.

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