Appearance:

Very large, mostly unmistakable bird. Grey upperparts, white underparts and yellow/yellowish bill. Keeps neck retracted when flying (as opposed to crane). May be mistaken for Purple Heron, but back of neck grey, not brown. Bill heavy and dagger-shaped. Neck thicker and less angular than in Purple Heron. Unmarked cheeks.

Sound:

Quite vocal. Most common call a short, far reaching and extremely harsh, rasping sound. At breeding ground a varied repertoire of harsh and clattering sounds.

Flight call:

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

Appearance:

Yellow legs, black to dark grey back (regional variations) and black primaries with only small white spots. Generally more slender than Herring Gull and Great Black-backed, with longer and more narrow wings, and longer legs. Winter plumage with streaked head and neck. Underside of flight feathers smoky grey. Juveniles very variable, but generally darker than Herring Gulls. Young birds with completely dark inner primaries and broad terminal band to tail.

Sound:

Very similar to Herring Gull, but tone more nasal.

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

Sounds:Recorded by Peter Boesman,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license