Appearance:

Heavily streaked sparrow with diagnostic combination of broad, strong supercilium and white spots at end of tail. Bill deep and cone-shaped with yellow to pinkish base. Primary projection very long. End of under tail coverts pale, giving the bird a broadly barred rump. The white pearls on the short tail and the long wings are conspicuous in flight. Adults with yellow throat-patch, although this is often hidden in many postures. Agile flight, much superior to Passer with regards to both speed and maneuverability.

Sound:

Large repertoire of calls of which many recalls Passer, but all with a nasal timbre. Main contact call a nasal "peey-u", rising sharply in pitch and then ending one note lower on the last syllable. Recalls alarm call of Serin in timbre. Sometimes given with only the first syllable. Also a short and explosive "pit", and many less distinct calls when interacting.

Main 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-sound:Albert Lastukhin, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Plumage stunningly colourful. Adults easily recognized by red face boldly framed in black and white. In all plumages; black wings with broad yellow panels, forked tail with white patches, and flashing white rump. Bill fairly long and pointed. Juveniles lack the red, black and white head, and are best identified by the contrasting wing-panel and white rump/tail patches. Light and bouncing flight, with bursts of wing-beats and variable acceleration.

Sound:

Contact-call distinct, and also constitutes a major part of the song. A sharp and explosive "witt", or "tzee-witt". Sometimes given as a single syllable, di- or trisyllabic, or as continuous series. The song is comprised of rapid series of the contact call, interrupted by drawn-out melodic notes and trills. Other calls: A harsh budgerigar or house martin-like "trrrtt-trrrrt".

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 Edmunds Racinskis