Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
Differs from other white herons in the region by dark legs with contrasting yellow feet and toes. Bill always dark, and lores grey or reddish (breeding birds). Slender and elegant build, as opposed to Cattle Egret. Only roughly half the size of Great White Egret. In flight, note much quicker wing-beats of Little Egret and that the wings of Great White seems to be positioned more at the front of the body. Skulking, foraging behaviour with less erect posture than Great White, also when moving about. Legs less protruding beyond tail in flight than in GWE.
Sound:Sometimes utters a dry, rasping "kerrr" when flushed, but is mostly silent away from breeding ground. In colonies a peculiar gurgling and vibrating sound is heard; "ghala-la-la-la".
Call:
Distribution:
Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCMarked black breast-band and mask. Olive-brown upperparts and white underparts. Easily confused with Little Ringed Plover (especially juveniles). Diagnostic characters in adults are; striking white wing-bars (only faint in Little Ringed Plover), orange base of bill and legs, and no yellow eye-ring. Juveniles also show characteristic wing-bars, white supercilium extends behind the eye, lower part of "mask" is rounded and bill is stouter. Tertials do not cover tips of primaries.
Sound:Usually heard before seen. Contact call a short, soft "koo-eep", with the emphasised second part higher and rising in pitch. Song a cyclic repetition of the contact call. Sometimes with a shortened phrases and a more creaking timbre.
Flight call:
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