Appearance:

Bulky raptor with long tail and short, rounded wings. Small males may be difficult to separate from large Sparrowhawk females. Upperparts grey-brown, and underparts pale and barred or speckled. Male and female quite similar, but female larger. Juveniles browner than adults, with heavily speckled underparts. Supercilium prominent in both sexes. Bulkier belly and broader at base of tail than Sparrowhawk. Deep chest. Longer wings and longer secondaries gives more of a S-shape to trailing edge of wings. Slightly rounded tail-corners visible when soaring. Flight alternates series of wingbeats with short glides without loosing height.

Sound:

Series of short "ke-ke-ke-ke-ke". More resonant, both sharper and deeper pitched than similar call of Sparrowhawk, and much slower. Also a wailing "peeeaaaaw"

Alarm 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 Tomek Tumiel,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license

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