Appearance:

Small, stout, unmistakable raptor with pale grey plumage. Strikingly broad wings and short tail. Large, round, owl-like head with black "mascara" and short neck. Underside of wing-tips, and upper median and lesser coverts black. Immature birds often with rusty underparts and white fringes to flight feathers and scapulars. Glides with wings raised high like a harrier. Frequent and skilfull hovering.

Sound:

Not very vocal. A soft "Pjuu-harrr". Starting as a mellow, ascending whistle and ending with a harsh screech. Also uttered without the harsh ending, or only a Barn Owl-like screech. Other sounds: rapid series of soft "kekekekekekekekeke" and short whistles.

Alarm call:

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

CC

CC-sound:Bernard BOUSQUET, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Slightly more compact than Yellowhammer, with shorter wings and heavier bill. In all plumages note; olive to grey rump, greyish lesser coverts and finely streaked flanks. Male unmistakable with black throat and eye-stripe. Female and immature lacks black throat, but have more contrasting eye- and moustache-stripe than Yellowhammer.

Sound:

Song variable, but can generally be described as a Yellowhammer phrase with no ending, or an Arctic Warbler with bunting timbre. Tempo also variable, but rhythm always even. Alarm call a thin "tseeep", similar to Rock Bunting, but more drawn out.

Song:

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-photo:janofonsagrada, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Le No, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:fra298, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:fra298, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Marianne Wustenhoff, Licence,Link.