Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio)
Arctic Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni)
Male with brown back, pinkish white underparts and a bluish grey head with a black eye mask. Female more dull with barred underparts. Juvenile like female, but upperparts also barred . Tail brown with white edges in all plumages. Females and juveniles easily confused with other southern/eastern or vagrant shrikes like; Brown Shrike, Isabelline Shrike, Woodchat Shrike and Turkestan Shrike. Differs from those in white sides of tail, barred rump, mantle and scapulars, scaly underparts and dark or yellowish base of bill (not pink).
Sound:Call a hard "check check" (like striking two rocks together), and a variable nasal "twee" Song surprisingly varied with many expert imitations of small passerines, interwoven with bell-like ringing and dry chirping sounds. May be confusing and hard to identify if bird not seen. Song not very loud, but phrases can be very long.
Alarm call, song:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCDiffers from Common Redpoll by white, almost unstreaked rump (young birds may have some streaks). Under tail coverts white, with only very narrow black center, or no black at all. Upperparts greyer, underparts whiter with less prominent streaking. Wing bars brighter. Bill shorter and less deep, and face "flatter". Juveniles difficult to distinguish from Common Redpoll, even when held in hand. Species status debated.
Sound:Very similar to Common Redpoll, but possibly with a softer tone and slightly longer pauses between each syllable. See Common Redpoll.
Distribution:Xeno-canto map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CC