Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis)
Gives a bulkier impression than Skylark, with longer bill, heavier head and body, and broader tail. In flight broad wings and short tail prominent. Lacks white edges on wings. Orange buff underwings. Crest on rear crown spiky and uneven. Outer tail feathers rufous, not white. Occasional song-flight. Slower wing-beats than skylark. Very similar to Thekla Lark, and identification can be very difficult in areas where both species occur. The much used streaked-breast character is not always relevant because of regional variations. Then habitat, behaviour and voice becomes important to identification, and a combination of structural and plumage character should be used. Bill appears curved (because of straight lower mandible), crest spikier than Thekla, belly deeper, back less heavily streaked , tail coverts less rusty-brown, upper breast usually with less defined streaking. Eye-stripe buffish, rather than white behind eye. Less prone to perch on top of scrubs or bushes than Thekla, and prefers lower altitude .
Sound:Song: a mix of long whistling, fluting sounds, trills and mimicry. Full song quite similar to Thekla Lark. Rudiments of song are often heard and includes more melancholic whistling than Thekla. Contact call/alarm-call: May be the best characteristic to separate it from Thekla Lark where both species occur. Crested Lark call with 2-4 syllables, of which one is extended and fairly flat. The phrase has a less "bouncing" feel to it than Thekla Lark, lacking the accented rapid rise and fall in pitch of the extended note of Thekla Lark.
Song:
Distribution:
Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCLarge 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
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CC