Appearance:

Small lark with short, blunt bill and markedly streaked breast. The long primary projection is not covered by the tertials, as in (Greater) Short-toed Lark. Upperparts browner, and the dark shoulder patch og GSL is missing. Supercilium reaches all the way to bill-base. Wing-markings diffuse. Flight and behaviour similar to GSL. Sometimes performs song flight in characteristic "slow motion".

Sound:

Contact call most diagnostic. A drawn, rattling "prrrrrrrt". Longer than in GSL, and less defined. Last syllable (t) accented and with a lower pitch. Song more continuous than in GSL, with a jerky rhythm and lots of mimicry. Listen for the interweaved contact calls.

Contact call, 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:

A small, tit-like passerine with brown back, grey head and diagnostic black mask. Plumage comparable to Red-backed Shrike, but build and behaviour very different. Male with broader mask than female. Juveniles with pale, uniform plumage, lacking mask altogether. May be confused with Bearded Reedling if mask not seen, but note shorter tail with no graduation. Tit-like behaviour, but less inquisitive.

Sound:

Call a sharp clear high pitched whistle "pju-eee-uu", with the middle part accented and with a raised pitch Or just an all descending whistle "pjuuuuuuu".

Contact call:

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

Sound recording:Recorded by Edmunds Racinskis