Appearance:

Largely unmistakable. Pale pinkish brown. Wings dark with white and blue patches. Tail black and rump white (conspicuous in flight). Crown speckled in black. Striking black moustache stripe. Flight pattern straight and fluttering like Nutcracker, but tail longer and bill shorter.

Sound:

Large repertoire. Most heard call a short, drawn and very hoarse, raspy sound, often given in quick successions. Also a Buzzard-like, mewing "peeeaaa" (more drawn and less full tone than Siberian Jay). Quiet and varied subsong with mimicry, resembling a small passerine heard from both sexes. Many other social sounds.

Alarm:

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:

Very large brown owl. Usually identifiable by its size and brown tones alone. Long ear-tufts usually pointing to the sides (depending on mood). Face differs from Long-eared Owl in having rather dark and brownish facial disks, and much less prominent light eye-brows. Eyes orange. Lacks the pale base of primaries of Great Grey Owl. Flight powerful and more raptorlike than other owls, interspersed with long glides. Ear-tufts foldable, and less visible in flight.

Sound:

Song a very deep "ooho". Continuous, but disyllabic. First syllable emphasized and second syllable rapidly falling in pitch. Quite similar to Long-eared Owl, but deeper and with more pronounced pitch change at end ("release"). Frequency of calls also diagnostic: Typically 8-10 seconds between each "ooho" (2-3 seconds in Long-eared Owl ). Audible at 1 - 4 km distance. Both sexes sing. Has a rich repertoire of contact/alarm calls like a hoarse, heron-like "kreaaak", and an excited, bubbling "hohohohoh".

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

CC-photo:hehaden, Licence,Link,

CC-photo:martino.pizzol, Licence,Link,