Appearance:

Hawk-like, partly diurnal owl with long tail and barred underparts. Plumage gives black and white impression. White face framed in bold, vertical black stripes. Eyes bright yellow. Wings fairly short, but not rounded. Tail long and graded. Flight pattern hawk-like, with rapid series of bursting wing-beats followed by glides. Often perched in the open, exposed in tree-tops.

Sound:

Seldom heard outside breeding ground. Alarm call a sharp, merlin-like "kwitt kwitt kwitt", or "ki-ki-ki". Song a 10 second rapid pulse of shivering notes with a bubbling quality. Rising slightly in pitch and then slowly falling.

Song:

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-sound:Eero Pätsi, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Slightly smaller than Eider. Male at close range unmistakable. At a distance the black back is diagnostic. Female similar to female Eider, but feathering on bill is not reaching nostrils, giving the bird a peculiar "smile". Head shape is less triangular with a steeper forehead, and nail of bill is black. V-shaped barring on flanks.

Sound:

Male: Calls similar to Eider but easily distinguished by the vibrating quality. A "aaaooooooh" (shorter in duration than Eider) Starting on a low note, slowly ascending and ending on a descending note with a distinct vibrato/pulse. Often in the form of three calls: "oohh, a-ohhh hahahaoohohohoh". Usually accompanied by the female "ga ga ga ga".

Display-calls:

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

CC

Sounds:Recorded by Andrew Spencer,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license