Wigeon (Mareca penelope)
White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus)
Recognized in all plumages by its rounded head, steep forehead, short neck and contrasting white belly. Males with brown head and light yellow forehead, pinkish breast and grey body. Adult males with big white patch on forewing. Female mostly brown with bluish bill. Tail rather long and pointed, and wings narrow. Quite pale underwings, but not completely white like American Wigeon.
Sound:Male: a pleasant high pitched whistle "piiiiuuu", rapidly rising in pitch and then falling. Quite vocal. Female: a harsh "kraaa kraaa kraa" more like female diving-ducks than other dabbling-ducks.
Display-call male:
Distribution:
Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCSounds:Recorded by Patrick Åberg,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license
Breeding adult easily identified by white tail/rump combined with jet black under wing coverts and silvery upper wing. Immature with brownish back contrasting with pale, silvery upper wings and pale rump. Broad white collar, and lacks dark breast patch of immature Black Tern. Adult winter most liable to confusion with other terns, but upperparts much paler than Black Tern. Contrasting dark outer primaries and secondaries to rest of wing. Often retains some black under coverts even in winter which is diagnostic if seen. Slightly more compact than Black Tern and often recalls Little gull in shape. Bill noticeably shorter and thinner than in Whiskered Tern.
Sound:Mostly silent away from breeding ground. Most diagnostic call a dry, rolling "krrrrrr-ta-ta" where the rolling is followed by one or two accentuated syllables, or just simply "krrrrrr". Used in excitement.
Call:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCCC-sound:Marco Dragonetti, Licence,Link.