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:

Adults in summer at close range unmistakable. Bill in juveniles almost black, and much less deep than in adults. Adults in winter plumage also show much darker bill and cheeks than in summer. At a distance head gives an all dark impression, with characteristic dark "shadow " in front of the eye. Head and bill less elongated than in other auks. Wings rounded with dark undersides. "Thighs" dark. Flight fluttering and energic, with shifting weight and angle.

Sound:

Deep, but not so coarse as Razorbill. Smoother and more gliding changes in pitch, like a "slow-motion" laugh or distant chainsaw; "aaaahrrr, aahr, ahr arh".

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-photo:zanzamos, Licence,Link.

Sounds:Recorded by Hans Petter Kristoffersen,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license