Blackbird
Turdus merulaJFMAMJJASOND
Slow, rich, fluting phrases that wander about and often trail off into a quiet chuckle.
Birds / Hawks and eagles
Red Kite
Milvus milvusAlso known as Kite
Recording: our own Vi Natura listening station
Sounds like
A long, high whistle, 'weeeooo', that breaks into a wavering 'wee-oo-wee-oo-wee-oo', called from high overhead as the bird circles.
Remember it
A thin, wavering whistle from the sky: look up for a big bird with long, angled wings and a forked tail, twisting it to steer. Gone from England by the 1870s, it's now a common sight again over much of the south.
When and where
Listening for the red kite
- Heard
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAll year round
- Time of day
- Day
- Where
- Farmland, Woodland, Uplands, Towns
- In Britain
- All year
- Family
- Hawks and eagles
Could you pick out a red kite?
Hear a song, choose from four birds, and build your streak.
Same habitat
Also in farmland
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneJFMAMJJASOND
A harsh, hoarse 'kraa-kraa-kraa', usually three or four calls in a row from a treetop, rooftop or aerial, each one flat and croaky.
Dunnock
Prunella modularisJFMAMJJASOND
A hurried, flat, squeaky warble that stays on one level and stops abruptly, like a squeaky wheel turning.
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusJFMAMJJASOND
Constant chattering 'chirrup' notes, usually from a group hidden in a hedge or under the eaves.