Firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Distinct head markings, with black eye-stripe contrasting with broad, white supercilium. Top of head yellow (female), or orange (male), framed by black crown stripes. Characteristic orange shoulder patch, lacking in all confusion species. Immature is distinguished by present supercilium, other head markings absent.
Sound:Call: a thin "tsi tsi tsi" similar to Goldcrest, but not so sharp. Song: Similar in timbre to Goldcrest, but much more monotonous. A slow crescendo of short "tze" sounds in a phrase rising slightly in pitch, without the repeated arpeggiated movements of goldcrest.
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
CCMale shiny black with bright yellow bill and yellow eye-ring. Female dark brown above. Throat and chest in slightly paler tones with diffuse dark spots. Juveniles similar to females, but with fine buff streaking all over. More long-tailed than Redwing and Song Thrush. Flight action with alternating bursts of wing-beats and with little undulation (see Fieldfare).
Sound:One of the most appreciated song birds. Very melodious and resonant, with long mellow notes and a large register. Less high pitched sounds than Song Thrush, and seldom repeats a phrase. Timbre fuller than both Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush. Well defined pauses between phrases, giving the song a relaxed pace. Large repertoire of calls. Most characteristic is a hysterical rattle often given when flushed. Sometimes preceded by a hard "tok tok", which then accelerates into a panicky arpeggio-like crescendo. Contact call a thin redwing-like "srrreee". Alarm calls: a sharp "tink, tink" or a very high pitch falling whistle.
Alarm call, song:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CC