Appearance:

Breeding plumage: Yellow face with broad black moustache stripes and black lores. Black forecrown and thin black horns. Black breast band with blunt vertical extension towards throat (sometimes connects to moustache stripes). Black tail with white sides. Juveniles covered in small pale spots with only faint facial markings. May be confused with juvenile Skylark, but note shorter bill and yellowish face of young Shore larks.

Sound:

Song a stream of thin and tinkling, squeaking notes with a recurring, drawn, ringing and slightly ascending chirp. Timbre resemblant to Lapland Bunting. Often given from high in the air, being difficult to locate. More hesitantly when given from the ground with a stumbling introduction. Flight call quite similar to Meadow Pipit's "tseep" call, but less anxious.

Song:

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

CC-sound:Nathan Pieplow, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Plumage a mix of rusty, creamy brown and grey, resembling a nightjar. A rather unmistakable bird, despite the lack of striking plumage features. Behaviour both passerine- and woodpecker-like, but with less woodpecker-like tree clinging. Often feeds on the ground. May give a reptile-like impression.

Sound:

Normally silent when not breeding. Song (both sexes): an insisting, Merlin- or Lesser Spotted Woodpecker-like series of plaintive "kee kee kee kee kee ". First slightly ascending, then descending. Other sounds: a guttural "gru", and hissing sounds when threatened.

Song:

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