Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus)
Rock Dove (Columba livia)
Europe's biggest raptor. All dark vulture with short, wedge-shaped tail and very long and broad wings. Legs pale, and usually readily visible. May resemble White-tailed Eagle or Greater Spotted Eagle at distance, but note short neck, less protruding head, even longer and broader wings, and shorter tail. Under wing-coverts darker than flight-feathers. Trailing edge of wing fairly straight compared to S-shaped edge in Griffon Vulture, making the overall wing-shape more squarish. This is most obvious when soaring on stretched wings. Soars with wings leveled, not raised, often with hand lowered. Frequently raises tail just before landing.
Sound:Voice little used but varied. Grunts,croaking, mewing, hissing etc. heard when breeding or feeding at carcasses.
Distribution:Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCClearly smaller than Wood Pigeon. Plumage highly variable, and some morphs quite similar to Stock Dove. Differs from latter in complete dark wingbars on secondary coverts (not only inner coverts). Back light grey, contrasting with darker grey neck and head. Often with white patch at lower back, but not always. Underside of wings very pale, and dark trailing edge of tail fairly narrow. Lacks Wood Pigeon's white wing-patches. Feral Pigeon is the same species as Rock Dove. The existance of a population of pure wild Rock Doves without any mixed genes from feral populations anywhere in the world is debateable. There are many traits that can determine a bird as feral (like asymmetrical pigmentation), but birds with "classic" wild Rock Dove plumage also exists in the feral populations.
Sound:Not loud. Song a two-syllable, but continuous cooing. First a rolling ascending "orrrrrr" immediately followed by a short descending "oohh". Wings produce a quite audible whistling sound.
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
CC