18 to 20.5 cm light brown uppers. white on the lower parts. The wings have a narrow light-coloured bar and are often blocked briefly in flight. Present throughout the year, a few pairs nest along rivers, a little upstream of the areas considered here, on accumulations of gravel overgrown with grass and scrub. Outside the breeding season, from July, it can be seen along even rocky coasts, in ports etc., and is common also in the province of Trieste.