Appearance:

Large, elongated, long-tailed finch with secretive behaviour. In all plumages: Black wings with white wing-bars and white edges to tertials. Tail black. Body speckled in grey, with orangy/yellowish, or deep red base colour. Flanks, belly and vent grey. Deep and short Bullfinch-like bill. Juveniles dark brown above with less contrasting wing-bars. Shows only faint yellow or brown on throat and chest. Note long tail and thrush-like appearance in flight. Not shy.

Sound:

Contact call a melodic, plaintive "cliu-wee", with both syllables falling in pitch. Analogoues to Siskin, but much more full-bodied and lower pitched (like a mix of Siskin and Bullfinch). Song a soft, flowing, melodic yodeling in clear, flute-like tones.

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 Richard Dunn,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license

Appearance:

Unmistakable, except in areas where it coexists with Short-toed Treecreeper. Differs from said species in pure white flanks (sub-species macrodactyla has faintly buff flanks but not as marked as in Short-toed), shorter and only moderately curved bill, hind-claw as long as hind-toe and "notched" wing-bar (uneven "steps"). Tips of primaries with buffish/white tips/fringes extending along inner web. Mostly distinguished from Short-toed by call, and identification exclusively by plumage characters difficult in areas where both species occur.

Sound:

Contact call a drawn, high-pitched "tzreeee". Similar to Goldcrest in timbre, but of longer duration with a vibrating and slightly rolling tone. Generally repeated in evenly paced, slow series (unlike Goldcrest). Song a short, continuous three-part phrase. Each phrase starts with a few contact call-like notes followed by a Willow Warbler-like descending part, which then jumps to a few descending high notes to form a marked conclusion. Note that "mixed singers" are not uncommon in areas where both species of treecreepers occur.

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