Little Auk (Alle alle)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Small and compact auk. Bill short and blunt, tail and wings short. Scapular feathers with characteristic white brims. Differs from young Puffin by white "thighs", white throat and only faint neck collar (in winter). Often difficult to spot when swimming in waves, and more often seen when flying. Take-off from water surface easy and direct. Flight less constricted than larger auks, and changes direction frequently and with ease.
Sound:Voice higher pitched than other auks (except Black Guillemot). Trilling, rolling and chattering laughter "kreeee he he he he", or shorter, softer utterances; "ke ke" or "hup hup".
Contact call:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCSounds:Recorded by Stein Ø. Nilsen,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license
Dark blue metallic upperparts, deep red forehead and throat and light underparts. Long tail-streamers in adults and deeply forked tail. Both the metallic blue and the deep red appears black at a distance. Combination of dark throat/breast and light underparts and vent is diagnostic, and distinguishes it both from Red-rumped Swallow and the smaller martins. Juveniles are less brightly coloured with a dull red throat, and short streamers.
Sound:Characteristic calls and song. Contact call a short and sharp "weet" or "kee-weet". Song a sparkling, squeaky energetic improvisation with interspersed contact calls, often with diagnostic ending; an electric and drawn-out "su-eerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr".
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
CC