Appearance:

Adult male easily recognized by black throat and strong white moustache stripes. Female often also with black spotted throat which, together with the moustache stripe and pale chest/belly, makes it easy to distinguish from other Sylvia. Females and immatures with pure white throat may be confused with female Sardinian Warbler, but show darker front half of head, paler and purer coloured belly and flanks (lacking brownish tinge) and white fringes to greater coverts and tertials (less obvious in worn plumage). For all plumages look for curved culmen, pointed bill and longer and squarer tail than Sardinian Warbler. Build more similar to Whitethroat than Sardinian Warbler, and also less agile than smaller Sylvia.

Sound:

Alarm call a rolling "trrrrrrrrt", similar to Spectacled Warbler, but less confluent (fewer pulses pr. sec.). Not as hard as corresponding call of Sardinian Warbler. Song a rapid mix of rolling alarm call type syllables, with interwoven single whistling notes. Rolling clearly softer than in Sardinian Warbler and often dominates the song with sequences of up to one second, giving it a very hectic feel. Each phrase rarely more than 2 seconds long. Some geographical variation exist and individuals with less rolling song easier to confuse with Sardinian and Cyprus Warbler.

Song (with extensive rolling), alarm, 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

CC

CC-photo:Oscar en Jolanda Balm, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Arie en Anneke Kolders, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Arie Kolders, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Mick Sway, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Large tern with black bill, with yellow tip (adults). Bill all black in juveniles. Long black cap and shaggy crest. Generally leaves a much whiter impression than other terns in the region (except Roseate Tern). Adult summer: Yellow bill-tip. Tail pure white, and upperparts pale grey. Outer primaries darker than rest of wing, and contrast increases in worn plumage. Broad white trailing edge to inner wing. Underside of primaries with faint narrow dark trailing edge. Forehead white in adult winter and first winter plumage. Juveniles: scaly upperparts and dark bill. Less evenly coloured than juvenile Gull-billed Tern. First winter birds similar to juveniles, but back purer grey and bill shorter. Can be mistaken for Gull-billed Tern, but note different profile. Flight powerful with evenly narrow wings and a front-heavy appearance, due to the long head and bill. Often dives from high above the surface and stays under water longer than Common and Arctic T.

Sound:

Contact call a sharp and grating "keeree-eek". Often compared to the pressing of amalgam into a tooth.

Contact call:

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

CC-photo:Paul:Ritchie, Licence,Link.

CC-sound:Peter Boesman, Licence,Link.