Appearance:

A social, compact, buff bird with full crest, short neck, black bib, black mask and red wax-like extensions to secondaries. Tips of primaries and tail yellow. May be confused with starling when seen in silhouette or when flying, but note fuller head, rounder and more compact body and shorter bill. Flight includes frequent glides, even when changing directions. Not very shy in winter. Hunts insects in flycatcher-like manner in summer.

Sound:

Contact call weak, but distinct and typically alert one to the presence of a flock. A thin, high pitched, ringing "tzrrrrrrr". Song more or less a variation on the contact call.

Contact call:

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 Rob van Bemmelenhttp://www.xeno-canto.org/CC license

Appearance:

Small size diagnostic. Small head in relation to body size, and distinct short white supercilia. Slightly protruding bill. Rather dark face, with only fine white markings and stern look. Juvenile lacks finely spotted crown. Bounding, woodpecker-like flight.

Sound:

Calls in a clear voice, like a straight note blown on a recorder. Each note often followed by a rhythmic, trisyllabic accent a whole tone deeper than the first note.

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:R. Martin, Licence,Link.