Appearance:

Rufous red face, throat and chest, framed in slate grey in adults of both sexes. Olive brown to grey upperparts and dull white underparts. Head rather large, and body rather stocky when plumage puffed, despite thin bill and slender legs. Juveniles lack the red front and are heavily spotted in buff on a dark brown body with barred chest. Adults pretty unmistakable when seen well. Flight usually low and darting, with quick changes of directions before disappearing in thick bushes. Posture usually erect with frequent flicking of tail and wings.

Sound:

Alarm call a thin, electric "tick", often in series with decelerating tempo. Song medium to very high pitched, with mostly clear tones with a liquid quality. Timbre reminiscent of Wren or Dunnock, but with a much more varied structure and tempo. Pitch ranges from very high to low, almost thrush-like, notes. No recognizable motifs. Often ends on a rising or falling pitch, giving it a "Chinese" accent.

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 bunting, resembling a compact Yellowhammer in shape. Head green with yellow markings and underparts orange-brown. Distinct and characteristic, yellow eye-ring and earth-brown (not rufous) rump in all plumages. Female like male, but duller coloured, with streaked head and chest.

Sound:

Distinct bunting-like timbre with very prominent harmonics. Song simple, but varies from region to region. Sometimes structurally similar to yellowhammer, but slower, more melancholic, and with more clearly audible harmonics f.ex. "tze-ti tze-ti tze-ti tweeeee". Beginning with repeated alternating notes (tze-ti) and ending on a lower note fading out with a rising pitch. Sometimes without the ending note (like yellowhammer). Calls: a vaguely House Sparrow-like "chepp", with a ringing quality, and a sharper cut-off "zeep".

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:Mick Sway, Licence,Link.