Appearance:

Small, starling sized owl. Smaller than Little Owl. Perches in upright position. Ear-tufts not prominent when relaxed, but gives angular shape to head. Plumage appears uniform, and colour varies from brown to rufous-brown. At closer range, whitish spots on shoulders and yellow eyes with dark surround, are visible. Appears long-winged in flight.

Sound:

Song: a slightly descending, short "klooit". The tone is resonant, clear and pure, unlike Little Owl. Calls uttered endlessly in a frequency of about 20 a minute. Resembles Midwife Toad (Alytes), but is clearly modulated in pitch, as opposed to the toads straight tone.

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:Willem Vergoossen, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Viskens Michel, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Eric SANSAULT, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

A featureless, bulky bunting. Larger than Yellowhammer, but with a shorter tail. Combination of size, build, flight-pattern and sound important for identification. Recalls the bigger larks in build. Takes off with a loose and surging flight, often with legs dangling underneath. Undulations particularly strong just before landing. Wings dark, and tail without white feathers or markings. "Tooth" in upper mandible visible at close range when singing. Bill and legs yellowish pink. Often shows an indistinct, dark breast patch.

Sound:

Song diagnostic. A brittle, jingling and accelerating phrase of about 2 seconds duration. Repeated in a monotonous manner, to form a typical soundscape of fields where it is numerous. Often compared to the sound of a chain of small keys. The phrase starts with a few staccato, ticking sounds that progress into a dry trill, followed by a short ritardando. Calls with a dry "chep" or a brittle "vitt".

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