Appearance:

A social, compact, buff bird with full crest, short neck, black bib, black mask and red wax-like extensions to secondaries. Tips of primaries and tail yellow. May be confused with starling when seen in silhouette or when flying, but note fuller head, rounder and more compact body and shorter bill. Flight includes frequent glides, even when changing directions. Not very shy in winter. Hunts insects in flycatcher-like manner in summer.

Sound:

Contact call weak, but distinct and typically alert one to the presence of a flock. A thin, high pitched, ringing "tzrrrrrrr". Song more or less a variation on the contact call.

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

Sounds:Recorded by Rob van Bemmelenhttp://www.xeno-canto.org/CC license

Appearance:

Easily distinguished from Cormorant in breeding plumage, but at other times easily confused with congeners. Smaller than Cormorant, with a more slender neck and rounded head. Bill slender and straight. Steep forehead with peaked front crown, differs from the wedge shaped head of Cormorant. Bill often with yellow tinge (never in Cormorant). Flies with quicker wing-beats and straight neck (Cormorant with bulge). Often dives with a high jump. Juveniles with darker underparts than Cormorant, and often an obvious brownish tinge. Rare in brackish water.

Sound:

Very deep and harsh voice heard at breeding ground. Deep grunts alternated, or ended with clicking sounds.

Social interaction:

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

CC

Sounds:www.xeno-canto.org,Jens Kirkeby,http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/