Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus)
White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)
Usually recognizable by size alone. Distinctly smaller than any congener. Pale wing-panel formed by inner coverts is striking in all plumages, especially in flight. Male with contrasting black and white/buff plumage. Female with dark, but pale fringed back and streaked throat. Immature with streaked, bittern-like plumage, and wing-panel is brown-spotted. Skulky behaviour, and most active at dusk or after dark. Mostly seen in flight when crossing open water. Flight action rapid and clipping, and landing is preceded by short glide.
Sound:Mostly silent except in breeding season. Song is a series of short, deep, frog-like "gorrk", repeated every 2 seconds. Tone is muffled and hollow, but far-carrying. Flight-call a sharp "ki-ke-ke" or a nasal "ke".
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
CCSound recording:Creative Commons,www.xeno-canto.org,Jarek Matusiak,http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Largely unmistakable. Huge, almost all white, bird with black flight feathers, long red legs and bill. Juveniles with dark bill tip and pale legs. Easily told from Black Stork in flight by all white underparts, including wing coverts. Only flight feathers black. Wing pattern similar to White Pelican and Egyptian Vulture. Often soars high in flocks like raptors.
Sound:Mostly silent. Loud, modulated bill-clattering from both sexes is heard during courtship/display.
Display call:
Distribution:
Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CC