Appearance:

A very large, long and slender bird. Bigger than Grey Heron. Plumage grey, with contrasting black throat and flight-feathers. White sides of neck. Tertials forms fluffed, ostrich-like rear end. Red crown visible at close range. Easily told from herons in flight by the straight neck. Juveniles with rufous head, lacking the marked pattern of adults.

Sound:

Powerful, resonant and bugling "kriiiiioooo" in various forms. Very far reaching. Often heard in duet where the female immediately answers the male call at a slightly deeper pitch. Also very vocal when flocks meet.

Call, male/female:

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:Piotr Szczypinski, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Unmistakable in breeding plumage, with all dark/blackish body unique among Tringas. Most birds seen in Europe will probably be in winter- or juvenile plumage, and can then be mistaken for Redshanks. Spotted Redshanks are slimmer, longer legged and more elegant than Redshanks. The supercilium is much more prominent, the bill is slimmer and longer. Most diagnostic is the lack of white wing-bars, and the white sigar-shaped patch on the back. The barring in juveniles reaches from the belly and all the way back to the vent. Often feeds in deeper water than Redshanks, even by swimming and upending.

Sound:

Flight call loud and diagnostic, and is often the first sign of the species' presence; a sharp and short, disyllabic "koo-eett", with the first syllable falling in pitch and the second rising sharply. Display call a squeaky, but melodic "krroo-lee-ooo" repeated in cycles. Alarm call a falcon-like "ke-ke-ke-ke".

Flight calll, 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 Stein Ø. Nilsen,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license