Species:

Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)

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Length (cm):
42-45
90-98
Wingspan (cm):
77-80
175-195
Weight (gram):
260-290
1020-2073
Size group:
Crow-size
Bigger than a crow
Main Texts:
Appearance:

An elegant, long-legged, black and white wader with a long, upcurved bill. Plumage mainly white, with black wing-tips, coverts, crown and hind-neck. Pretty unmistakable. Confusion with Crab Plover or Juvenile Shelduck possible at very long range. Flight pattern even and mostly without glides.

Sound:

Not very vocal away from breeding ground. Most common contact call a soft, short "kluitt" reminiscent of Ringed Plover, but harder and less varied. Also sometimes followed by repeated chattering: "kluitt-trt-trt-trt-trt-trt-trt".

Contact call:

Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file


Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

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

CC-sound:Peter Boesman, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Very large, mostly unmistakable bird. Grey upperparts, white underparts and yellow/yellowish bill. Keeps neck retracted when flying (as opposed to crane). May be mistaken for Purple Heron, but back of neck grey, not brown. Bill heavy and dagger-shaped. Neck thicker and less angular than in Purple Heron. Unmarked cheeks.

Sound:

Quite vocal. Most common call a short, far reaching and extremely harsh, rasping sound. At breeding ground a varied repertoire of harsh and clattering sounds.

Flight call:

Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file


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

Similar species (image):
Similar species (sound):
Silhouette Group:
Waders
Silhouette
Heron-like
Silhouette
Several different images of the species
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Several different sounds of the species
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file