Appearance:

Similar to White Stork (Ciconia ciconia), but with dark brown, metallic neck, head, breast and back. Only belly and innermost, under wing coverts are white. Legs, eye-ring and bill deep red. Flies with neck extended like White Stork, but contrasting white belly is visible at great distance. Immature birds duller brown than adults, with grey-green bill and legs.

Sound:

Thin, disyllabic "ahhh-li" heard at nest and when courting. One syllable sounds like gasping intake of air, the other is a thin, piping sound. A bit like a cheap, manual, air-mattress pump. Bill-clattering used by juveniles in alarm.

Courting:

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:Edmunds Racinskis, 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.