Appearance:

A small, compact martin with short, forked tail and pure white rump. Underparts shiny white (including throat and vent). Upperparts dark with shiny metallic glow to head and back. Juveniles overall more dull, with white tips to tertials and dusky, brownish upperparts. Flight determined and steady. Glides more than Sand Martin, with less frequent change of direction.

Sound:

Contact call a rolling "krreet". Similar to Sand Martin but noticeably dryer, more rolling and less raucous. Typically varies the pitch of the call more. Song a merry improvisation of chirping, contact call-like sounds (sometimes recalling a budgerigar). Warning call a sharp and plaintive "tsreee".

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:

Adults: Black back and pinkish legs. Large white windows at tips of primaries, and broad white trailing edge of wing. A very heavy gull with a heavy bill and broad wings. Juveniles with pale head, boldly spotted back and heavier bill than Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gull.

Sound:

Can be identified from the low pitch alone. Clearly deeper than Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gull.

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:Jarek Matusiak, Licence,Link.