Appearance:

Long tail, long neck and small head constitutes a characteristic profile. Adult males with grey head, females brown. Tail pattern is typical, and most obvious on adults: A broad dark terminal band and two or three smaller bands at base. Same pattern on flight-feathers. Middle of wing quite broad, creating a straight trailing edge when the bird is gliding with half-open wings. Wings held in a straight angle with primaries pointing slightly downwards when soaring. Tail often fanned and frequently twisted like a Kite to adjust position.

Sound:

Call an ascending, then descending; "pjuuuuu" much thinner than buzzards, and with a distinct register break when changing pitch. May be confused with newly fledged Buzzard chicks.

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

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

Appearance:

Summer: Red throat (seemingly black at a distance!). Lacks white vertical framing of throat patch and white spotted back of Black-throated Diver. Winter: Quite pale. White face and eye-ring. Just a narrow stripe of dark grey along the back of the neck. In all plumages best identified by posture and silhouette, especially when seen at a distance. Slender neck, head and bill. Flat chest. Usually shows no white flank patch. Bill usually held uptilted.

Sound:

In flight; nasal, dry, gooselike series of rhythmic cackling "ko-ko-ko". Most vocal when courting and breeding. A meowing drawn-out sound starting with a register break, then falling in pitch. Display call a far reaching rolling cyclic cooing, given in long sequences.

Song/display:

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

CC-sound:Lauri Hallikainen, Licence,Link.