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  • Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus - Winter. Feeding on Three-spined Stickleback. L 31-38cm. Buoyant little waterbird with beady red eye. Flattish crown and white-tipped, even-shaped bill (both mandibles are curved) allow separation from Black-necked. White patches on both leading and trailing edges of wings are seen in flight. Sexes are similar. Adult has reddish orange neck and flanks. Back is black and black head has golden-yellow plumes. In winter, has black upperparts and white underparts with clear demarcation between black cap and white cheeks. Juvenile is similar to winter adult. Voice Utters trills and squeals at nest. Status Scarce winter visitor to sheltered coastal waters. Rare breeding bird in Scotland, on shallow lochs with abundant sedges.
    154648.jpg
  • American Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis - Adult female
    146153.jpg
  • American Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis - Adult female
    146152.jpg
  • American Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis - Adult female
    146157.jpg
  • American Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis - Adult female
    146159.jpg
  • American Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis - Adult male
    146160.jpg
  • American Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis - Adult male
    146164.jpg
  • American Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis - Adult female
    146166.jpg
  • Three-flowered Rush - Juncus triglumis
    162784.jpg
  • American Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis - Adult female
    146154.jpg
  • American Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis - Adult female
    146155.jpg
  • American Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis - Adult female
    146156.jpg
  • American Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis - Adult female
    146158.jpg
  • American Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis - Adult male
    146161.jpg
  • American Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis - Adult male
    146162.jpg
  • American Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis - Adult male
    146163.jpg
  • American Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis - Adult male
    146165.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146626.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146627.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146631.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146635.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146638.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146639.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146640.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146645.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146656.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146657.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146659.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146664.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146625.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146628.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146629.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146630.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146632.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146633.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146634.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146636.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146637.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146641.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146642.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146643.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146644.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146646.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146647.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146649.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146648.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146650.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146651.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146652.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146653.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146654.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146655.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult male
    146658.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146660.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146662.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146661.jpg
  • Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus - Adult female
    146663.jpg
  • Pintail - Anas acuta<br />
female
    162883.jpg
  • Pintail - Anas acuta
    162884.jpg
  • Whooper Swan - Cygnus cygnus
    162264.jpg
  • Common Walnut - Juglans regia. Juglandaceae Height to 30m <br />
Spreading, domed tree. Bark Brown at first, grey and fissured with age. Branches Lowest ones spreading; twisted twigs bear purple-brown buds. Leaves Compound, with 7–9 leaflets, to 15cm long; thick and leathery. Reproductive parts Male catkins yellow, to 15cm long; female flowers small, greenish. Fruits green, rounded, to 5cm across, encasing edible Walnut seed. Status Cultivated since Roman times.
    157503.jpg
  • Black-tailed Godwit - Limosa limosa. L 38-42cm. Long-legged wader with long, straight bill. In flight, has black tail, white rump and white wingbars on upperwing. Sexes are dissimilar in summer. Adult male in breeding plumage has reddish orange face, neck and breast. Greyish back is spangled with reddish brown and belly is whitish with barring on flanks. Adult female in breeding plumage is similar but reddish elements of plumage are less intense. Winter adult is grey-brown, palest on belly; undertail is white. Juvenile recalls winter adult but has orange suffusion on neck and breast and pale fringes and dark spotting on back feathers. Voice Utters a kwe-we-we call in flight. Status Rare British breeder; Ouse and Nene Washes are strongholds and favours wet grassland. Icelandic migrants boost numbers outside breeding season; locally common on muddy estuaries.
    157153.jpg
  • Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla L 15-16cm. Dumpy, sandy-brown lark with a stubby bill, pale underparts and dark patch on sides of breast. Feeds unobtrusively and often found near coasts. Winters in Africa and usually breeds in S Europe.
    156325.jpg
  • Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix L 40-45cm. Bulky moorland gamebird. Males display at traditional leks to interest nearby females. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has mainly dark plumage with red wattle above eye. Displaying birds elevate and spread tails (which look lyre-shaped) and reveal white undertail coverts. In flight, tail looks long and forked; wings have white bars. Adult female has orange-brown plumage finely marked with dark bars. In flight wings show narrow white bar. Juvenile resembles a small female with subdued markings. Voice Displaying male utters a bubbling, cooing call. Status Scarce and declining in many areas. Does best on moorland comprising mosaic of grassland, heather moorland, bilberry stands and adjacent woodland.
    155973.jpg
  • Swift (Apus apus) in Flight. L 16-17cm. Invariably seen in flight: has anchor-shaped outline and mainly dark plumage. Catches insects on the wing. Sexes are similar. Adult has mainly blackish brown plumage with pale throat. Tail is forked but often held closed in active flight. Juvenile is overall darker but throat and forehead are paler. Voice Loud screaming calls uttered in flight. Status Locally common summer visitor. Nests in churches and loft spaces. Feeding birds gather where insects are numerous. Observation tips Easy to see in late spring in villages and towns. Most adults leave Britain in August.
    155945.jpg
  • Marsh Harrier - Circus aeruginosus - male - left and centre - female - right. Wingspan 110-125cm.Graceful wetland raptor. Adult male is mostly reddish brown with blue-grey head and grey tail. In flight, note patches of grey and reddish brown on wings, and black wingtips. Adult female is mainly dark brown with pale leading edge to wings and pale cap and chin. Tail is reddish brown. Juvenile is similar to an adult female but tail is dark brown. Voice – mainly silent. Status and habitat – Commonest in summer months, but some birds are present year-round. Usually seen in flight over marshes and reedbeds. Easiest to see in East Anglia.
    155902.jpg
  • Snipe Gallinago gallinago L 25-28cm. Distinctive, even in silhouette: has dumpy body, rather short legs and very long, straight bill. Feeds by probing bill in a sewing machine-like manner. Sexes and ages are similar. Adult and juvenile have mainly buffish brown upperparts, beautifully patterned with black and white lines and bars. Note distinctive stripes on head, streaked and barred breast and flanks, and white underparts. Voice Utters one or two sneeze-like kreech calls when flushed. Performs ‘drumming’ display in breeding season: sound caused by vibrating tail feathers. Status Locally common and invariably associated with boggy ground. In breeding season, favours marshes, meadows and moorland bogs. Winter numbers boosted by migrants and then found on wide range of wetland habitats. Sadly, tens of thousands of birds are shot each year.
    155779.jpg
  • Adonis Blue Polyommatus bellargus Wingspan 32mm. A classic chalk downland butterfly, males of which are dazzling. Adult male has iridescent blue upperwings with black and white margins; female’s upperwings are brown with orange submarginal spots. Underwings of both sexes are grey-brown with spots. Double brooded: flies May–June and July–August. Larva feeds on Horseshoe Vetch; can sometimes be found in short turf being attended by ants. Very local in southern England but entirely restricted to chalk downs.
    144879.jpg
  • Filbert Corylus maxima (Betulaceae) HEIGHT to 6m <br />
Very similar to Hazel except for the nuts, which are mostly solitary or in bunches of 2–3 and entirely enclosed in an undivided involucre, which is constricted over the nut and toothed at the tip. A native of the Balkans, but widely planted elsewhere for the superior quality of its nuts, and sometimes naturalized
    141305.jpg
  • Common Walnut Juglans regia Juglandaceae Height to 30m <br />
Spreading, domed tree. Bark Brown at first, grey and fissured with age. Branches Lowest ones spreading; twisted twigs bear purple-brown buds. Leaves Compound, with 7–9 leaflets, to 15cm long; thick and leathery. Reproductive parts Male catkins yellow, to 15cm long; female flowers small, greenish. Fruits green, rounded, to 5cm across, encasing edible Walnut seed. Status Cultivated since Roman times.
    134908.jpg
  • Sage-leaved Pear Pyrus salvifolia (Rosaceae) HEIGHT to 10m. Small, much-branched tree. BARK Rough and scaly. BRANCHES Spreading and spiny with blackish, almost hairless old twigs. LEAVES To 5cm long, elliptical, smooth above and grey and woolly below. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS White flowers open with the leaves, followed by pear-shaped fruit, to 8cm long. Pedicel and young fruit are woolly; bitter fruit ripens yellow; used to make Perry. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Occurs in the wild from France eastwards; planted here occasionally. COMMENT Possibly a hybrid between P. communis and P. nivalis.
    134685.jpg
  • Common Walnut Juglans regia Juglandaceae Height to 30m <br />
Spreading, domed tree. Bark Brown at first, grey and fissured with age. Branches Lowest ones spreading; twisted twigs bear purple-brown buds. Leaves Compound, with 7–9 leaflets, to 15cm long; thick and leathery. Reproductive parts Male catkins yellow, to 15cm long; female flowers small, greenish. Fruits green, rounded, to 5cm across, encasing edible Walnut seed. Status Cultivated since Roman times.
    132720.jpg
  • Hazel Corylus avellana Betulaceae Height to 6m<br />
Multi-stemmed shrub, or short tree. Bark Smooth, shiny, peeling into papery strips. Branches Upright to spreading. Twigs with stiff hairs, buds oval and smooth. Leaves Rounded, to 10cm long, hairy above; heart-shaped base and pointed tip. Margins double-toothed. Reproductive parts Male catkins to 8cm long, pendulous and yellow. Female flowers red and tiny; produce hard-shelled nuts. Status Common, often coppiced.
    129876.jpg
  • Pedunculate or English Oak Quercus robur Fagaceae Height to 36m. Spreading, deciduous tree with dense crown. Bark Grey, thick and fissured with age. Branches Dead branches emerge from canopy of ancient trees. Buds hairless. Leaves Deeply lobed with 2 auricles at base; on very short stalks (5mm or less). Reproductive parts Flowers are catkins. Acorns, in groups of 1–3, with long stalks and scaly cups. Status Widespread; prefers heavier clay soils to Sessile Oak.
    100170.jpg
  • COMMON DANDELION Taraxacum officinale agg. (Asteraceae) Height to 35cm. Extremely variable perennial. Experts recognise several sub-groups (sections), containing numerous so-called micro-species; however, for simplicity’s sake, here they are lumped together as a single species. Grows in a wide variety of grassy places. FLOWERS are borne in heads, 3-6cm across, with yellow florets; heads are solitary and borne on hollow stems that yield a milky sap if broken (Mar-Oct). FRUITS have a hairy pappus, arranged as a white ‘clock’. LEAVES are spoon-shaped and sharply lobed; arranged in a basal rosette. STATUS-Widespread and common throughout.
    141299.jpg
  • Fox Vulpes vulpes Length 95-130cm Adaptable dog-like carnivore but with a catholic diet including fruits and berries. Mainly nocturnal; daytime shelter is called an earth. Adult has thick, mainly orange-brown coat with whitish jaws and underparts are white and white tip to tail. Feet and backs of ears are blackish. Yelping scream is uttered mainly by females for brief period in winter, to mark breeding season. Common, widespread and adaptable, found in towns and cities as well as countryside.
    137002.jpg
  • King Penguins - Apternodytes patagonica
    127002.jpg
  • White Pelicans - Pelecanus onocrotalus and Dalmation Pelican - Pelecanus crispus
    128766.jpg
  • Greater Flamingo - Phoenicopterus roseus
    133049.jpg
  • Swift Apus apus L 16-17cm. Invariably seen in flight: has anchor-shaped outline and mainly dark plumage. Catches insects on the wing. Sexes are similar. Adult has mainly blackish brown plumage with pale throat. Tail is forked but often held closed in active flight. Juvenile is overall darker but throat and forehead are paler. Voice Loud screaming calls uttered in flight. Status Locally common summer visitor. Nests in churches and loft spaces. Feeding birds gather where insects are numerous.
    143718.jpg
  • Teal Anas crecca L 34-38cm. Our smallest duck. Forms flocks outside breeding season. Often nervous and flighty. In flight, both sexes show white-bordered green speculum. Sexes are otherwise dissimilar. Adult male has chestnut-orange head with yellow-bordered green patch through eye. Plumage is otherwise finely marked grey except for black-bordered yellow stern and horizontal white line along flanks. Bill is dark grey.  In eclipse, resembles adult female. Adult female has mottled grey-brown plumage. Bill is grey with hint of yellow at base. Juvenile is similar to adult female but warmer buff. Voice Male utters a ringing whistle, female utters a soft quack. Status Associated with water. Nests in small numbers beside pools and bogs mainly in N. Locally common outside breeding season on freshwater marshes, estuaries and mudflats.
    145322.jpg
  • Bean Goose, Taiga race - Anser fabalis fabalis
    145731.jpg
  • Brent Goose - Branta bernicla
    162946.jpg
  • Alpine Swift - Apus melba
    162388.jpg
  • Whooper Swan - Cygnus cygnus
    162262.jpg
  • Swift (Apus apus) in Flight. L 16-17cm. Invariably seen in flight: has anchor-shaped outline and mainly dark plumage. Catches insects on the wing. Sexes are similar. Adult has mainly blackish brown plumage with pale throat. Tail is forked but often held closed in active flight. Juvenile is overall darker but throat and forehead are paler. Voice Loud screaming calls uttered in flight. Status Locally common summer visitor. Nests in churches and loft spaces. Feeding birds gather where insects are numerous. Observation tips Easy to see in late spring in villages and towns. Most adults leave Britain in August.
    156857.jpg
  • Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus L 53-56cm. Similar to Herring Gull but adult has dark grey back and upperwings and bright yellow legs. Note, confusion possible with adult Yellow-legged (upperparts paler). Sexes are similar. Adult in summer has dark grey back and upperwings. Black wingtips are darker than rest of upperwing except for white trailing edge; plumage is otherwise white. Bill is yellow with orange spot. Iris is yellow and orbital ring is red. In winter, similar but with streaks on head and neck, and duller leg and bill colours. Juvenile and 1st winter have streaked and mottled grey-brown plumage, palest on head. Upperwings dark brown and whitish tail is dark-tipped. Eye and bill are dark. Adult plumage acquired over 3 years. 2nd winter similar to 1st winter but with grey back, pinkish legs and dark-tipped pink bill; 3rd winter resembles heavily streaked winter adult. Voice Utters a distinctive kyaoo and anxious ga-ka-ka. Status Locally common in summer, nesting colonially on seacliffs and islands. Most migrate S to Mediterranean outside breeding season; small numbers remain, often roosting on reservoirs.
    154277.jpg
  • Black-headed Gull - Larus ridibundus<br />
left = 1st winter, middle = adult winter, right = adult summer<br />
L 35-38cm. Our most numerous medium-sized gull. Plumage variable but white leading edge to outerwings is consistent feature. Forms single-species flocks. Sexes are similar. Adult in summer has grey back and upperwings, white underparts and chocolate-brown hood. Legs and bill are red. In flight, trailing edge of outerwing is black. In winter, loses dark hood; white head has dark smudges above behind eye. Juvenile has orange-brown flush to upperparts, dark feathers on back, dark smudges on head, and dark tip to tail. Acquires adult plumage by 2nd winter through successive moults. 1st winter bird retains many juvenile plumage details but loses rufous elements and gains grey back. 1st summer bird still has juvenile-type wing pattern but gains dark hood. Voice Raucous calls include a nasal kaurrr. Status Widespread and numerous. Commonest on coasts and inland freshwater sites, but also in towns and on farmland; often follows the plough. Nests colonially beside water. Migrants from Europe boost winter numbers.
    154290.jpg
  • Strawberry Tree Arbutus unedo (Ericaceae) Height to 9m <br />
Small, spreading evergreen tree with a short bole and a dense, domed crown. BARK Reddish, peeling away in shreds that turn brown. BRANCHES Often ascending and twisted; twigs slightly hairy and reddish. LEAVES To 11cm long, with either sharply toothed or entire margins, and a prominent midrib. Dark glossy-green above, paler below; 1cm-long petiole is usually red and hairy. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers borne in pendulous clusters late in year at same time as fruits from previous year; flowers white, to 9mm long, and sometimes tinged pink or green. Fruit is a round berry, to 2cm across; warty skin ripens from yellow through orange to deep red; flesh is acidic. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Main native range is SW Europe and Mediterranean; also occurs naturally in SW Ireland in open woods and thickets. Planted widely elsewhere.
    135450.jpg
  • Beech Fagus sylvatica Fagaceae Height to 40m <br />
Imposing deciduous tree with domed crown. Bark Smooth and grey. Branches Ascending. Buds reddish, to 2cm long, smooth and pointed. Leaves To 10cm long, oval, pointed, with wavy margin. Reproductive parts Male flowers pendent, clustered. Female flowers paired with brownish bracts. Fruits are shiny 3-sided nuts, to 1.8cm long, enclosed in a prickly case. Status Common native in S England; widely planted elsewhere.
    134774.jpg
  • Filbert Corylus maxima (Betulaceae) HEIGHT to 6m <br />
Very similar to Hazel except for the nuts, which are mostly solitary or in bunches of 2–3 and entirely enclosed in an undivided involucre, which is constricted over the nut and toothed at the tip. A native of the Balkans, but widely planted elsewhere for the superior quality of its nuts, and sometimes naturalized
    133112.jpg
  • Hubei Crab Malus hupehensis (Rosaceae) HEIGHT to 15m<br />
Broadly domed and spreading tree. BARK Reddish brown with scaly plates. BRANCHES Long and spreading, lower ones with shoots that almost reach the ground. LEAVES Narrowly ovate, pointed at the tip, to 10cm long, shiny green above and borne on a rather long, downy petiole. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers are white, arising from pink buds. Fruits are reddish and 1cm across. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Scarce native of E Asia, planted widely here in parks and gardens.
    132894.jpg
  • Acer leaf  in autumn, showing the progessive removal of green chlorophyll from the leaf, allowing the remaining red pigments to prevail.
    132328.jpg
  • Common Walnut Juglans regia Juglandaceae Height to 30m <br />
Spreading, domed tree. Bark Brown at first, grey and fissured with age. Branches Lowest ones spreading; twisted twigs bear purple-brown buds. Leaves Compound, with 7–9 leaflets, to 15cm long; thick and leathery. Reproductive parts Male catkins yellow, to 15cm long; female flowers small, greenish. Fruits green, rounded, to 5cm across, encasing edible Walnut seed. Status Cultivated since Roman times.
    117564.jpg
  • Polar Bear Ursus maritimus Length 2.5-3m, weight 350-650kg The largest land predator, quite capable of competent swimming. Fur is white, often stained yellowish. Feeds mainly on seals and adapted to life associated with pack ice.
    139688.jpg
  • Bottle-nosed Dolphin Tursiops truncatus Length 2.5-4m Bulky, muscular dolphin. Social, found in schools of 3-4 animals. Diet includes fish, crabs and shrimps. Playful at the surface. Adult is greyish-brown overall, darkest above and palest on throat and belly; mid-grey band is sometimes seen on flanks. Beak is rather short and blunt (fancifully bottle-like) with lower jaw extending beyond upper one. Flippers are rather long and pointed and dorsal fin is tall, curved backwards and almost shark-like.
    144293.jpg
  • Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus L 150-160cm. Similar to Mute Swan but separable using bill shape and colour. Typically holds neck straight, not curved. Seen in medium-sized flocks comprising several family groups. Sexes are similar. Adult has mainly pure white plumage although head and upper neck is sometimes stained orange. Bill is triangular and rather long, with yellow patch that extends beyond nostril. Juvenile has grubby buffish grey plumage and dark-tipped pale pink bill. Voice Utters loud, bugling calls. Status Handful of pairs breed here each year, but best known as a winter visitor; several thousand present Oct-Mar.
    133163.jpg
  • Lapwing Vanellus vanellus L 30cm. Pied-looking wader with a spiky crest. Has rounded, black and white wings and distinctive call. Sexes are separable in summer. Adult male in summer has green- and purple-sheened dark upperparts; underparts are white except for orange vent and black foreneck. Note black and white markings on throat. Adult female in summer has less distinct black neck markings and shorter crest. Winter adult is similar to summer female but throat and foreneck are white, and back feathers have buffish fringes. Juvenile is similar to winter adult but crest is short and back looks scaly. Voice Utters a choked pee-wit call. Status Fairly common nesting species of undisturbed grazed grassland, moors and arable farmland; numbers have declined seriously. Migrants from Europe boost numbers in winter.
    136028.jpg
  • Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus L 35-40cm. Well-marked owl that often hunts in daylight. Flight is leisurely, often with stiffly-held wings. Perches on fenceposts. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have buffish brown plumage, heavily spotted and streaked on upperparts; underparts are streaked but paler. Facial disc is rounded; note yellow eyes and short ‘ear’ tufts. Voice Displaying birds sometimes uttera deep hoots. Status Local and rather scarce. Nests on upland moors but outside breeding season favours lowland marshes, grassland and heaths, particularly near coasts. Influx of birds from Europe boosts winter numbers.
    137378.jpg
  • House Martin Delichon rubica L 12-13cm. Recognised by overall black-and-white appearance and striking white rump. Sexes are similar. Adult has mainly blue-black upperparts with white rump; underparts are white. Juvenile is similar but underparts are grubby and upperparts are duller. Voice Utters distinctive prrrt call in flight. Twittering song often delivered from overhead wires near nest. Status Locally common summer visitor. Typically constructs hemi-spherical mud nest under house eaves and overhangs, in loose colonies. On migration, often feeds on insects and congregates over freshwater.
    137887.jpg
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