Appearance:

In all plumages recognized by its long tail, call, and choice of habitat (reeds). Male unmistakable, with bluish grey head, yellow bill and black drooping moustache. Females and juveniles mostly plain, yellow-brown with whitish underparts and no moustache. Young females with dark bill, young males with yellow bill and black lore. Juveniles with black patch on back and black outer tail feathers. Flight whirring and undulated. Sometimes fans tail in flight with twisting motions.

Sound:

More often heard than seen. Usually identified by contact call; a ringing, explosive "tschin" with a characteristic "dirty" timbre. Also a hard and very short "pit", often mixed with the previous. Song a primitive, 3-syllable phrase, consisting of contact call-like sounds.

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-photo:sussexbirder, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Like a Willow Tit with dark brown hood, brown back and warm brown flanks. Fluffy overall look, with very large dark bib. Summer plumage often looks "newly washed" and untidy. Tail slightly longer than in Willow Tit, and flight is less undulating. Not shy.

Sound:

Voice quite similar to Willow Tit. Song: Often vibrating or rasping notes repeated in Willow Tit-like structure, gradually falling in pitch "trrrrrr trrrrr trrrrr". Call: Nasal Willow Tit-like "chee chee chee" , "ti ti chee". Other sounds: Chirping, bubbling sounds resembling Willow Tit, various other high pitched sounds.

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

CC

CC-sound:Hannu Jännes, Licence,Link.