Appearance:

Build like a Magpie, but slightly more slender. Black hood, white throat, buff body and beautiful azure-blue wings and tail. Unmistakable if seen well. In unfavorable conditions the long tail in combination with the black hood and contrasting pale throat is diagnostic. Sexes alike. Flight similar to Magpie, but less staccato and more decisive. Behaves more like a Jay than a Magpie, and usually moves about in small groups.

Sound:

Most typical call is a high-pitched, finch-like, rapidly ascending "hvrriit" (similar to some Siberian Jay or Jay calls). Has a rich repertoire various social sounds of which some are more Magpie-like, like a dry and rolling "krrrrrrr".

Contact call, interaction calls:

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

Appearance:

Male with brown back, pinkish white underparts and a bluish grey head with a black eye mask. Female more dull with barred underparts. Juvenile like female, but upperparts also barred . Tail brown with white edges in all plumages. Females and juveniles easily confused with other southern/eastern or vagrant shrikes like; Brown Shrike, Isabelline Shrike, Woodchat Shrike and Turkestan Shrike. Differs from those in white sides of tail, barred rump, mantle and scapulars, scaly underparts and dark or yellowish base of bill (not pink).

Sound:

Call a hard "check check" (like striking two rocks together), and a variable nasal "twee" Song surprisingly varied with many expert imitations of small passerines, interwoven with bell-like ringing and dry chirping sounds. May be confusing and hard to identify if bird not seen. Song not very loud, but phrases can be very long.

Alarm call, 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