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

Appearance:

At a distance quite similar to Razorbill. Bill more slender, pointed and without white markings. Flanks streaked in black, and armpits with conspicuous black spot. Tail shorter than Razorbill. Cheeks white in winter, with thin black groove behind eye. Some individuals show white eye-ring and eye-groove in summer plumage. Differs from Brunnich's Guillemot in rounded, white wedge protruding from chest to throat, and all dark bill. Slender neck, head and bill, in combination with the short tail, gives it a different profile than Razorbill whether perched, swimming or flying.

Sound:

Very coarse and deep voice. Typically rising in pitch, then ending on a prolonged stable note with a laughing quality. Sometimes only the coarse beginning uttered like "ga-ga-ga".

Contact call:

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-sounds:www.xeno-canto.org,david m,http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/