Page 309 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

CHATS AND THRUSHES
Order Passeriformes Family Turdidae Species Turdus philomelos
Song Thrush pale eye-ring

warm orange-buff plain dark to
underwings olive-brown
upperparts streaks
under
plain cheeks
wings pale feather
tips

IN FLIGHT
“V”-shaped,
brown-black
spots on
underside
SINGING
yellow-buff
underparts, pale pinkish
browner on flanks, legs
white on belly
FLIGHT: usually low into nearest cover; higher flight
erratic, with swooping glides; bursts of wingbeats.
he classic spotted thrush, the Song Thrush
Tis neatly patterned below, and is rather small,
markedly smaller than a Blackbird. It has a marvellously
vibrant, varied, full-throated song that is instantly identifiable.
A declining bird in many areas, it relies on some woodland or tree
cover, or at least big, bushy hedges in farmland. ELDERBERRY TREAT
It is equally at home in mixed or deciduous Autumn berries provide welcome
woodland with some clearings and well- food for the Song Thrush, in
wooded gardens or town parks. addition to the usual diet of
VOICE Short, thin, high stip; loud alarm rattle; worms and snails.
song loud, exuberant, shouted, each separated
phrase of 2–4 notes repeated 2–4 times, some
musical, some whistled, others harsh or rattled.
NESTING Grassy cup lined with mud and
dung, low in bush, hedge, or tree; 3–5 eggs;
2 or 3 broods; March–July.
FEEDING Hops and runs across open ground,
stopping to detect and extract earthworms; eats
many snails, slugs, other invertebrates, berries,
and fruit; shy visitor to bird-tables, but eats
scattered scraps and apples.
OCCURRENCE
SIMILAR SPECIES Breeds in almost all of Europe
except Iceland; in summer, only
MISTLE THRUSH REDWING BLACKBIRD 2; in N and E Europe, resident and
see p.309 pale edges see p.308 see p.311 winter visitor in S and W. In
greyer to wing strongly smaller bigger broadleaved woodland, parkland,
feathers striped and
bigger head darker farmland with trees and hedges,
gardens, parks with lawns, and
rounder darker shrubberies.
spots
below much less Seen in the UK
sharply spotted
J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 23cm (9in) Wingspan 33–36cm (13–14in) Weight 70–90g (2 1 ⁄2 –3 1 ⁄4oz)
Social Family groups Lifespan Up to 5 years Status Secure
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