Appearance:

Small member of the thrush family, with erect posture and large head. Distinct white or buff supercilium in all plumages. Base of primaries shiny white in adults, especially adult male. Coarsely spotted buff rump. Base of tail with white triangular patches. Juveniles with white speckles on upperparts and whitish throat. Lacks the white base of primaries, but supercilium bold.

Sound:

Contact call resembles many of it relatives. A short, soft "peeu", followed by a hard "check" (like hitting two rocks together). The "peeu"-sound is depper and more resonant than similar sounds by Wheatear and Stonechat. Song variable with lots of mimicry. The short phrases starts with dry, rattling or sneering trills, followed by clear whistling notes and expert mimicry. More varied, both in tone and tempo, than both Stonechat and Wheatear.

Song:

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:

Large Sylvia with dark hood and pale iris (adult birds). Lacks red orbital ring of Sardinian Warbler. Tertials and coverts without pale fringes. Very similar to Eastern Orphean Warbler (S. crassirostris), but generally the distribution of the two do not overlap. Typical birds also show some differences in plumage like; no dark centres to under tail coverts and warm buff underparts, flanks and vent (variable). The border between the dark hood and grey neck is more diffuse, the back is browner and the bill slightly shorter. Young vagrants with poorly developed characters may be inseparable from S. crassirostris by appearance. Both species differ from Lesser Whitethroat by; stronger bill, no white crescents around eye and darker upper tail. Movements less agile than smaller congeners.

Sound:

Alarm call a short and sharp "tek" recalling Blackcap, often given in series. Also a dry, rasping "turrrr". Both calls are more or less identical to S. crassirostris. Song much more different from latter, but timbre of fluting sounds is similar, recalling that of Blue Rock Thrush. Overall the song is simpler than S. crassirostris, with shorter phrases, longer pauses and a more restricted register. Motifs consists largely of pleasant fluting, often dominated by alternation between two notes, and are often repeated with small variations.

Song:

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:Agustín Povedano, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Jorrit Vlot, Licence,Link.