Identification
Medium sized crested bird with a relatively long and strong beak and large paws. The whole upper part is grey up to the top of the head. He has a distinctive black band that starts at the beak, passes through the eye and ends back up to the nape of the neck. The underparts are whitish except for the sides of the belly and the area under the tail which have the tint of rust. The beak is dark grey to black and the legs are grey.
Distribution - Habitat
It spreads from the coast of the Adriatic Sea (Croatia, Montenegro, Albania) through Greece and Turkey westwards to Iran. Also in Syria, Lebanon and Israel.
It is found in areas with low vegetation and rocks but also in areas with trees if there are rocks in between.
Interesting Information
- It feeds, basically, on invertebrates such as insects and spiders and in autumn and winter also on seeds and snails.
- It builds an elaborate clay nest that ends in a pipe-shaped entrance, very sturdy and perfectly camouflaged on the rocks.