L 25-29 cm (of which bill 4-5), WS 44-48 cm. Breeds in farming districts and open, grazed country with copses, hedges and bushes; often seen in vineyards and orchards. Summer visitor (mostly end Apr-Sep), winters in Africa. Spends much time on ground, and needs some short-grass or bare areas for feeding (food mostly worms, insects). Wary (but not exactly shy), keeps a certain distance from man. Nests in hole in tree, stone wall, nestbox, house foundations.
IDENTIFICATION: One of the most striking and distinctive birds of the whole region: buffy-pink with black- and white-striped, broadly rounded wings, and crown with an erectile crest like Indian chief’s (though normally raised only momentarily on landing, otherwise rarely). Bill long, narrow, slightly decurved. Tail black with broad white band. Flight flappy and rather unsteady with short undulations, hint of gliding, and uneven rhythm, often low over ground. Moves energetically and jerkily on ground, like a starling. Папуняк
VOICE: When agitated and excited a high, noisy ‘scheer’ with traits of Collared Dove and distant Black-headed Gull. Also a dry rolling ‘cherrr’ in mate/brood-feeding and other situations. Song a trisyllabic hollow, muffled ‘oop-oop-oop’, repeated several times; weak at close range yet carries.
