Afghanistan (P), Albania (B), Armenia (B), Austria, Azerbaijan (B), Bangladesh, Bulgaria (B), China (mainland), Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska) (B), Cyprus, Denmark (P), Georgia (B), Greece (B) (P), India, Iran [Islamic Republic of] (B), Iraq (P), Israel, Italy, Jordan (P), Kazakhstan (B), Kyrgyzstan (B), Lebanon, Macedonia [The Former Yugoslav Republic of] (B), Malaysia, Moldova [Republic of] (B), Mongolia (B), Montenegro (B), Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Romania (B), Russia (Central Asian) (B), Russia (European) (B), Saudi Arabia, Serbia (B), Slovakia (Slovak Republic) (B), Slovenia (B), Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic (B), Tajikistan (B), Thailand, Turkey (B), Turkmenistan (B), Ukraine (B), United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan (B).
Vagrant to Algeria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Egypt, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong (China), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Kuwait, Latvia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands Antilles, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Seychelles, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, United Kingdom, Vietnam.
Breeds regularly from southern Ukraine east to lower Volga steppes, central and eastern Kazakhstan, western Altai and western Mongolia, south to eastern Turkey, southern Iran, Afghanistan and north-western China (western and northern Xinjiang). Occasionally south-eastern Europe west to Czech Republic, Hungary and Italy, and possibly now breeding annually in Bulgaria, also occasionally farther eastern in Russia (to upper R Yenisey). Non-breeding mainly India and Sri Lanka.
Population
Estimated population is 500,000 - 2,500,000 (2010).
Voice
Call, a thin 'kri'. Song, varied and twittering. A long series of bubbling, warbling and whistled phrases. A loud, clear 'ki-ki-ki...' uttered in flight and a harsh 'shrr' and rattling 'chik-ik-ik-ik...' when foraging.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
BirdLife International Species Factsheet