Page 296 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

CHATS AND THRUSHES
Family Turdidae
CHATS AND THRUSHES

IRDS IN THIS GROUP are characterized by THRUSHES
B rather short but strong bills, stout legs, quite The spotted thrushes look the same all year and
large heads, big eyes, and an all-round solid build. male and female are alike, while the Blackbird
Some are common, others very rare; some are and rock thrushes have sexual (and sometimes
resident, others migrate.They occupy a wide seasonal) differences in plumage. Superb singers,
range of habitats from gardens to forest,mountain, they make up the bulk
and moor, and include some of the finest of of the spring dawn
European bird songsters. chorus in much of
northern Europe. Many
CHATS are migrants, although
Smaller than the thrushes and less stoutly built, in some cases, such as
the chats are varied: most have different seasonal the Blackbird, winter
plumages,with male and female looking different immigrants to western
in summer and juveniles looking much like Europe join others of
winter adults. the same species.
The wheatears occupy open places from high,
bleak moors to hot Mediterranean heaths.The INTERMEDIATE
The Nightingale fits neatly between
nightingales live in dense shrubbery in woods or larger thrushes and smaller chats
beside heaths.Stonechats are year-round residents in size and shape.
on open heath, while Whinchats are summer
migrants.The chats demonstrate that
there is usually more than one way
to exploit a habitat or food supply.

SONG THRUSH
Several of the thrushes are excellent songsters,
none more so than the Song Thrush whose
repetitive phrases include many strong, clear,
musical notes.

WINTER FEATHERS
The whitish edges on the feathers of this
Rock Thrush will wear off by summer, to
give a clear blue and orange appearance,
quite unlike any other European species.

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