Appearance:

Plumage stunningly colourful. Adults easily recognized by red face boldly framed in black and white. In all plumages; black wings with broad yellow panels, forked tail with white patches, and flashing white rump. Bill fairly long and pointed. Juveniles lack the red, black and white head, and are best identified by the contrasting wing-panel and white rump/tail patches. Light and bouncing flight, with bursts of wing-beats and variable acceleration.

Sound:

Contact-call distinct, and also constitutes a major part of the song. A sharp and explosive "witt", or "tzee-witt". Sometimes given as a single syllable, di- or trisyllabic, or as continuous series. The song is comprised of rapid series of the contact call, interrupted by drawn-out melodic notes and trills. Other calls: A harsh budgerigar or house martin-like "trrrtt-trrrrt".

Song:

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

Sounds:Recorded by Edmunds Racinskis

Appearance:

Small and compact, brown warbler with strong supercilium and streaked back. Crown dark with faint streaking, contrasting with broad supercilium. Rump unstreaked and warmer brown than back and tail. Juveniles with faintly streaked chest. Long primary projection. Body shorter and more compact than Reed Warbler. Easiest Achrocephalus to see in the region. Often sings from exposed branch or reed, is inquisitive and not very shy.

Sound:

Alarm call a hard "check". Anxiety call a dry and rolling "rrrrr". Song vigorous and varied. A mixture of musical sounds, expert mimicry and characteristic harsh and strident calls. Not as rhythmic and evenly paced as Reed Warbler, but varies tempo a lot.

Song:

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