Appearance:

Heavily streaked sparrow with diagnostic combination of broad, strong supercilium and white spots at end of tail. Bill deep and cone-shaped with yellow to pinkish base. Primary projection very long. End of under tail coverts pale, giving the bird a broadly barred rump. The white pearls on the short tail and the long wings are conspicuous in flight. Adults with yellow throat-patch, although this is often hidden in many postures. Agile flight, much superior to Passer with regards to both speed and maneuverability.

Sound:

Large repertoire of calls of which many recalls Passer, but all with a nasal timbre. Main contact call a nasal "peey-u", rising sharply in pitch and then ending one note lower on the last syllable. Recalls alarm call of Serin in timbre. Sometimes given with only the first syllable. Also a short and explosive "pit", and many less distinct calls when interacting.

Main contact call:

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-sound:Albert Lastukhin, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Small, stocky, white heron with short bill and neck. Heavy jowl. Plumage all white, except in breeding birds which show varying amount of buff on back, crown and chest. Bill usually yellow, but turns orange-red in breeding birds, and is dark in immatures. Legs pale greyish green, but darker in young birds. May be confused with both Little Egret and Squacco Heron in flight. Differs from Little Egret in leg color and shorter, thicker neck and bill. Told from Squacco Heron by unstreaked body/head, and smaller bill. Generally leaves a less elegant impression than other small herons.

Sound:

Usually silent away from breeding ground. In the colonies a chorus of various coarse sounds can be heard. Most distinct is a disyllabic "rick-rack". Other sounds includes short, guttural utterings, or drawn, harsh shrieks.

Contact calls:

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