Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta)
Unmistakable. Very small, mouselike bird with short rounded wings, short neck and upright tail. Upperparts chestnut brown and finely barred. Underparts light buff. Forages in thick undergrowth and low bushes, crevices and holes for insects. Easily overlooked, but betrays its presence by its big voice. One of the smallest bird in northern Europe.
Sound:Song surprisingly loud. A high-pitched stream of clear notes resembling Robin and Dunnock in timbre. Differs from those in showing frequent shifts in pitch with much larger register than Dunnock, and by the unique, numerous, interspersed long trills. Warning call a short hard "teck", like banging two rocks together. Often repeated in series when excited to form machine-gun-like "firing".
Alarm call, 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
CCEasy to identify when seen in mountainous habitat where Rock Pipit does not occur, but harder when occasionally seen at the coast where both species may be present. Told from Rock Pipit by: Contrasting, double wing-bars, unstreaked belly (and only modestly streaked flanks), brownish rump, broad supercilium, paler underwing and pure white outer tail feathers. Summer plumage with more strongly coloured buff or pinkish underparts and greyer upperparts, but difficult to identify when plumage worn.
Sound:Similar to Rock Pipit. Song slightly more melodious, often with Tree Pipit like glissandi at end of phrase. Contact call sharper and more drawn.
Song:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CC