Appearance:

A fairly characteristic pipit due to the fresh plumage tones, defined facial pattern and marked breast streaking. Back olive-coloured with only faint streaking. Rump lacks streaking. Usually shows a pale and a black spot on rear cheeks. Legs pinkish, with short hind-claw, similar to Tree Pipit. Similar behaviour as Tree Pipit. Readily enters trees, and will also walk along branches. Flight also similar to Tree Pipit, lacking the stuttering motion of Meadow Pipit.

Sound:

Song similar to Tree Pipit, but tempo more even and with a timbre resembling Dunnock. Most often heard on migration is the contact call which (again) is very similar to Tree Pipit, a short buzzing "tzzzeet".

Contact 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

CC

CC-sound:Albert Lastukhin, Licence,Link.

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