Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria)
Western Orphean Warbler (Curruca hortensis)
Unmistakable. Grey, cliff-climbing bird with long, thin and curved bill. Wings with colourful pattern in carmine red, black and white spots. Habitually flicks wings when foraging (see videolink below), but still hard to spot when not flying. Flight jerky and butterfly-like, and also recalls Hoopoe. Wings appear dark from below, except for white pearls on primaries. Male with blackish throat in breeding season.
Sound:Alarm call a thin trilling "vuiirrrrrrr". Flight call one or several soft whistles, often with (very) short trill as attack or tail. Song variable in length, but main characteristic a sequence of 4-6 long, ascending whistles with timbre recalling whistling kettle. More complex and varied phrases are mixed with the long whistles. Both male and female sings.
Song:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCLarge 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
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CC