Appearance:

Upper back strongly barred, lower back all white (barred in south-east Europe subspecies). Underparts streaked. Whole crown red in male. Vent pinkish red, not deep red as in Great Spotted, and less marked. Most likely to be confused with Middle Spotted Woodpecker, but is clearly bigger, has longer bill and black moustache stripe connects to base of bill. Easily recognized in flight due to strong wing-bars and white lower back.

Sound:

Drumming noticeably longer and more powerful than Great Spotted, with accelerated ending (similar to Three-toed Woodpecker but faster). Contact call similar to Great Spotted, but slightly deeper and softer; "kjuk".

Drumming, 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.