Appearance:

Clearly smaller than Golden plover. Easily identified by broad white supercilium, white breast band and rusty brown underparts. Female more richly coloured than male. Winter plumage and juveniles pale, with scaled back and light underparts. Short, broad, rounded tail and slightly rounded wings visible in flight. Reversed sexual roles.

Sound:

Calls soft and mellow, but far carrying "pit" or "pju". Also "krrrrritpitpit - pit - pit pit pit", starting as a trill and then ending in a long ritardando of "pit"'s.

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

CC-sound:Rob van Bemmelen, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Largely unmistakable. All black, with white frontal shield and pale bill. Very stocky build. Lacks the white lateral stripe and white under tail-coverts of Moorhen. White trailing edge of wings visible in flight. Juveniles paler and more grey than adults, often with whitish front and neck. Under tail-coverts are dark, unlike juvenile Moorhen.

Sound:

Varied. Usually short, metallic and explosive. Most diagnostic call a very short, sharp and explosive "tsk". Sometimes a longer, less sharp but nasal "caw", with varying harshness.

Various calls:

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