Sombre Tit (Poecile lugubris)
Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla)
Like a Great Tit-sized Willow Tit. Dark bib very large much bigger. The hood is also extended, and covers more of the head than in Willow Tit, making the white cheeks very narrow and wedge-shaped. Bulky build, with broad head and strong bill. Told from Siberian Tit by complete lack of buff tones to underparts and flanks. Less acrobatic than other tits, and bill powerful enough to tear seeds apart like a finch.
Sound:Structurally resembling other tits call and song. Usually recognised by its distinct timbre. Its peculiar, rapidly modulated voice sometimes resembles a tit with added electronic effects. Call: a characteristic "tz tz chrrt", resembling the alarm call of House-sparrow.
Song:
Distribution:
Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCVery similar to Treecreeper C. familiaris, and id by sound generally easier than by appearance in areas where both species occur. Primaries with small, almost pure white tips restricted to outer web. Hind-claw shorter than hind-toe. Wing-bar usually with even "steps", but often difficult to determine. Underparts less white and more brownish than in continental C. familiaris (which again is browner than the pure white northern subspecies). Bill longer and with a stronger curved tip.
Sound:Contact call very similar to C. familiaris. A thin "sreee" often repeated in an even rhythm, perhaps with slighly shorter pauses. Flight call a short and sharp "wit" used freely when moving about. Song diagnostic, and introductory notes often used singly when interacting. Full song starts with one or two staccato introductory notes, the first higher pitched than the second, followed by a rapid, ascending crescendo ending in a drawn-out, less pure "sree". The tone is loud and much more penetrating and clear than C. familiaris. Timbre recalls wet rubber-boots on vinyl flooring. Note that "mixed singers" of C. familiaris are not uncommon in areas where both species of treecreepers occur.
Song:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCCC-photo:Agustín Povedano, Licence,Link.