Appearance:

Highly variable with many subspecies in different regions. Upperparts mainly grey and greenish, underparts yellow. Tail quite short compared to other wagtails, and the whole bird in profile is not unlike a pipit. Smallest wagtail in the region. Some birds are very pale below, head markings are very variable, depending on subspecies. Hybrids are not uncommon. Differs from Grey Wagtail in dark legs, only pale yellow vent and narrow wing-bars. Juvenile White Wagtails and Yellow Wagtails can be confused, but White Wagtail is greyer, with big grey breast patch (Yellow Wagtail may show narrow breast band). Closest congener is Citrine Wagtail, which lacks dark lore, has broad wing-bars and grey back.

Sound:

Contact call characteristic and widely used; a sharp, drawn out "pseeeoo" with an accented ending falling in pitch. Song primitive and less striking. A variable phrase with two or three notes resembling the contact call in timbre. Beware differences in calls and songs between different subspecies.

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

Appearance:

Rather large and heavily built Sylvia with dark hood and pale iris (in adults). Lacks red orbital ring of Sardinian Warbler. Very similar to Western Orphean Warbler (S. hortensis), but usually distinguished from that geographically by different breeding and wintering range, and also by appearance in typical birds (in addition to song). The following field marks differs from S. hortensis; dark centres to under tail coverts and whiter underparts with very little buff tones (slightly buff flanks in some). Other more variable traits are; dark hood more distinctly bordered in neck, colder grey upperparts and longer, more curved bill. Vagrant immature birds outside of normal distribution may be impossible to tell from S. hortensis. Apart from size, it differs from Lesser Whitethroat by; stronger bill, lack of incomplete white eye-ring, darker upper tail and above mentioned under tail coverts.

Sound:

Contact call a short "check", sometimes in series. When agitated a nasal, rattling "trrrr-trrrr-trrrr". Both calls very similar to S. hortensis. Song distinct, but with same quality of fluting sounds as in S. hortensis, recalling that of Blue Rock Thrush in timbre. Phrases often long and much more varied and impressive, with frequent mimicry. May be mistaken for Nightingale, but incorporates more dry trills, is slower, harder and lacks the diagnostic series of plaintive notes (may mimic it!).

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

CC-sound:Mehmetunlu, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Paul Cools, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Mattias Hofstede, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Mick Sway, Licence,Link.