Smew (Mergellus albellus)
Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)
A small and compact duck, more resembling a Goldeneye than other sawbils. Small bill and steep forehead. Male almost completely white, with black mask and fine black markings. In flight the dark wings gives it a more black and white appearance. Female or immature may be mistaken for other small ducks, but combination of brown upper head and white lower head is unique among WP-ducks. Body brownish grey. White patch on wing coverts prominent in flight in both sexes. Groups fly in loose lines, not bunches.
Sound:Mostly quiet except when displaying, and even then difficult to hear. Male: an ascending, froglike, rattling pulse of clicks. Also various grunting sounds. Alarm call a harsh "Kraaa".
Distribution:Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCDiffers from Common Tern in shorter head, and blood-red bill. Legs shorter, but tail streamers longer (extends well past wings in sitting birds). Underparts of primaries with sharply bordered dark trailing edge (diffusely bordered in Common Tern). Both primaries and secondaries transparent to sunlight. Crest less apparent than in Common Tern and underside greyer. Cheeks white just below the black cap, often in contrast to grey lower cheeks. Juveniles lacks buff coloured back.
Sound:Similar to Common Tern but higher pitched. Typical call a series of high pitched "tip-tip-tip", and longer, ringing, high-pitched "kriiiiii" calls. The drawn out "kree-aaahh" call falls less distinctly in pitch than Common Tern.
Calls:
Distribution:
Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CC