Appearance:

A small, elegant diving duck with highly variable looks depending on sex and time of year. Several moults with transitional plumages. Males with long, pointed tail and pink banded bill in most plumages. Females with grey bill. In all plumages note: small head, steep forehead and short bill with high base. Wings always all dark (also underside). Only diving duck with dark wings and light body. Flies with wings hardly raised above horizontal plane on upstroke.

Sound:

Very vocal and distinct. Male: a pleasant resonant melodic "ahh-aaooee" in a yodeling, breaking triad. Starting with an accented first note (ahh), then gliding from first through second and third note (-aaoooeee). Far carrying. Female: calls often, but less musical and distinct than male.

Male song:

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 Ian Cruickshank,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license

Appearance:

Notably smaller than Curlew. Bill is shorter and curves more closer to the tip. Markings on head much more prominent than in Curlew, with double dark lateral crown-stripes (light stripe on top of crown) and dark eye-stripe. Note that young Curlews have noticeably shorter bill than adults! Gives an overall darker impression than Curlew, especially underwing and flanks.

Sound:

Song starts similar to Curlew with long wailing notes "kluuueee", which then accelerates to a continuous, vibrating single note. Lacks the cyclic phrase ending of Curlew.

Song:

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