Appearance:

White forehead with white wedge above eye in all plumages. Legs, and most of bill yellow in adult breeding plumage. Very small and longwinged tern. Only 2/3 of size of Common Tern. Head and bill proportionally longer than Chlidonias species and congeners, while tail is shorter. Back paler grey and belly whiter. First primaries form a dark front edge to wing. In winter the bill darkens, legs turn a dirty yellow and the white forehead expands. Juvenile resembles adult winter, but has yellowish bill base and scale patterned back. Flight fluttering with rapid wing-beats, which together with size, is usually sufficient to determine the species.

Sound:

Fairly distinct voice. Contact call a sharp "kitt", often combined to form undulating, rolling series. Not as sharp and penetrating as Common- and Arctic Tern.

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

CC-photo:Lars Buckx, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Adults easily recognized by rufous cap, black back, white scapular patches and white rump. Appears more compact and bigger headed than Red-backed and Lesser Grey Shrike. White spot at base of bill larger in female than in male. Immatures told from Red-backed Shrike by whitish scapulars, greyer upperparts, diffuse patch at base of primaries, pale rump and dark brown tail. Young birds may also be confused with Masked shrike, but note less contrasting primary patch, darker forehead, browner upperparts and wings, pale rump, shorter tail and deeper bill. Subspecies L. s. badius lacks primary patch. More skulking than many shrikes. Likes high viewpoints.

Sound:

Alarm call a dry, magpie-like "che-che-che-che-che", or a nasal, ascending oriole-like "weea". Territorial song loud and varied. Often repeats phrases and includes mimicry. Alternativ song a more continuous chattering with impressive mimicry similar to Red-backed and Lesser Grey Shrike, and difficult to separate from those.

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-sound:Michele Peron, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Hans Verdaat, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:marco van der velde, Licence,Link.