Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia)
Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola)
Heavily streaked sparrow with diagnostic combination of broad, strong supercilium and white spots at end of tail. Bill deep and cone-shaped with yellow to pinkish base. Primary projection very long. End of under tail coverts pale, giving the bird a broadly barred rump. The white pearls on the short tail and the long wings are conspicuous in flight. Adults with yellow throat-patch, although this is often hidden in many postures. Agile flight, much superior to Passer with regards to both speed and maneuverability.
Sound:Large repertoire of calls of which many recalls Passer, but all with a nasal timbre. Main contact call a nasal "peey-u", rising sharply in pitch and then ending one note lower on the last syllable. Recalls alarm call of Serin in timbre. Sometimes given with only the first syllable. Also a short and explosive "pit", and many less distinct calls when interacting.
Main contact call:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCAdult male easily recognized with all yellow head with dark edges and grey back. Prominent white wing-bars and all dark bill, lacking the pale base of Yellow Wagtail. Females and adult winter lacks the dark lore-stripe of Yellow Wagtail, and the flanks are grey. The same applies to the juveniles. These also give a very grey impression, almost resembling a Pied Wagtail without the dark breast-pattern. Juvenile Yellow Wagtails have a less grey and more olive tone to their backs. The dark facial markings/earcoverts of females/winter/juveniles birds are usually framed by the continuation of the strong supercilium. Some Yellow Wagtails are very similar to Citrine, and call and tail length should be considered as well (tail longer in Citrine).
Sound:Contact call resembles Yellow Wagtail, but is harsher with a more buzzing quality, and of shorter duration. The pitch is more constant, lacking the rise and fall of Yellow Wagtail. The song is a loose repetition of phrases, comprised of disyllabic or monosyllabic contact calls.
Contact 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
CCSounds:Recorded by Jelmer Poelstra,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license