Species:

Spotted Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes)

Skylark (Alauda arvensis)

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Length (cm):
32-33
18-19
Wingspan (cm):
52-58
30-36
Weight (gram):
140-190
26-50
Size group:
Crow-size
Sparrow-size
Main Texts:
Appearance:

Largely unmistakable. Chocolate brown body with small white dots. Wings and crown dark brown without spots. Tail dark with broad white edges/corners. Vent shiny white. Recognizable at long distance when in flight, by its peculiar flight pattern and profile. Fluttering, "inefficient" wing beats, short tail, long bill and often a throat bulging with seeds.

Sound:

Fairly silent. Warning call a characteristic dry and rasping "karrr karrr karr" in even pitch. Song a quiet improvisation of whistling and clappering sounds, interspersed with mimicry of other birds.

Alarm call:

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See sound file


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:

Short foldable crest. Pale eye-ring and supercilium. Long primary projection (primaries extend well beyond tertials), white trailing edge to wing and white outer tail feathers. Tail much longer than in Wood Lark.

Sound:

Song a pleasing energetic stream of chirping, merry trills, interspersed with mimicry. Trills quite resonant with fairly full tone. Song usually given in flight high in the air. Less characteristic, shorter, weaker and more varied song when given from ground. Most typical flight call a short trilling "chirrup", with the end note noticeably lower pitched than the start. Also several other more cryptic calls.

Song:

Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file


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

Similar species (image):
Similar species (sound):
Silhouette Group:
Crow-like
Silhouette
Wagtail/pipit-like
Silhouette
Several different images of the species
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ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
Several different sounds of the species
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file