Hello, can anyone help me identify this bird? It’s not the magpie, I’ve seen this pair twice in a small green space near me in Forest Hill, South East London, they chase off the much bigger magpies but I can’t identify the bird from the RSPB identifier. Very distinctive sound, imagine it’s very easy if you’ve heard them before.
Hi Chris
It sounds like the alarm call of a Mistle Thrush.
Play this audio clip
It may be they are starting to nest somewhere and see Magpies as a threat
They are noticeably bigger than Song Thrushes although not quite as bulky as Fieldfares for example. Their alarm call is often likened to one of those old fashioned rattles used at football matches.
The calls on the RSPB website are often limited to a single song and doesn't cover the full range of vocalisations. A useful site for bird calls is xeno-canto although you have to know what you are looking for in the first place.