mistle thrushes
are noticeably larger than
song thrushes
, with a
longer tail
. They have pale grey-brown upperparts, and their white underparts are heavily spotted, with the spots on the belly and flanks more rounded in appearance.
What does a song thrush look like?
The song thrush is a
familiar bird
, brown above, with a white belly covered in black, drop-shaped spots It is smaller and a warmer brown than the mistle thrush, and lacks the white eyestripe and red flank patches of the redwing.
What bird looks like a song thrush?
Fieldfare. Fieldfares are large, colourful thrushes, much like a mistle thrush in general size, shape and behaviour.
What is the difference between a male and female song thrush?
Both male and female birds are identical, with the speckled breast making them fairly easily to identify – note that the speckles are smaller and more evenly distributed than on the similar Mistle Thrush, which is also a larger bird.
Is a blackbird a song thrush?
The song thrush (Turdus philomelos) is closely related to the blackbird , but is slightly smaller and lighter – about 23 centimetres long and 70 grams in weight. Both sexes have a yellow-brown back and wings, and lighter underside with regular rows of tapered brown spots.
Can a blackbird mate with a thrush?
Interbreeding with a thrush, whilst possible, is most unlikely What you’re describing Derek, is just what I’m used to seeing in the crop of youngsters that visit my garden here. They start of looking very brown, like a female, but speckly. Then their primary feathers and tail go black, followed by the back.
How rare is a song thrush?
Status and conservation The song thrush has an extensive range, estimated at 10 million square kilometres (4 million square miles), and a large population, with an estimated 40 to 71 million individuals in Europe alone.
What’s the difference between a starling and a thrush?
Starlings are almost thrush-sized, but more upright, on strong legs, with short tails, pointed wings and sharply-pointed bills They are also more social, forming closer, often much larger, flocks and feeding quickly in busy, squabbling groups where food is abundant.
How do you tell the difference between a blackbird and a thrush?
Look at the leg colour; in Blackbird the legs are dark or reddish-brown – in Mistle Thrush and Song Thrush they are pale Redwing is a
similar size
to a Song Thrush but has a strong head pattern, with a pale cream stripe above the eye.
What is the difference between a Fieldfare and a thrush?
Fieldfare are larger, mistle-thrush sized birds , and are superficially similar to mistle thrush in their general shape and attitude, but again there are distinctive features that make them readily identifiable in most situations.
Why is a thrush called Mavis?
The name Mavis appears in Chaucer and was used by other Middle English poets. It comes from the French word mauvis and may be of Celtic origin It was used by Shakespeare, as was the word throstle for song thrush, which, in East Anglia, refers to the mistle thrush.
Is mistle thrush rare?
The mistle thrush is a widespread bird in the UK , found almost everywhere except the highest, barest ground, and absent from the northern and western isles of Scotland. It can be seen in woodland, parkland and gardens.
Do wild birds recognize humans?
The magpie is only the third avian species, along with crows and mockingbirds, in which recognition of individual humans has been documented in the wild.
Is a robin a thrush?
robin, either of two species of thrushes (family Turdidae) distinguished by an orange or dull reddish breast. The American robin (Turdus migratorius), a large North American thrush, is one of the most familiar songbirds in the eastern United States.
Which thrush is the biggest?
- Medium-sized birds, they’re our largest thrush.
- Chunky and pot-bellied.
- Tawny brown and grey backs with a creamy white speckled front.
- Whiteish cheeks.
- Bold and bullish.
Which is the largest thrush?
Turdus viscivorus At 26-29cm, the Mistle Thrush is one of the larger thrushes, being slightly larger than a Blackbird and noticeably larger than the Song Thrush. As well as its larger size, the Mistle Thrush often appears more plump-bellied than its smaller relative and it has a proportionally longer tail.
Are song thrushes rare in UK?
The song thrush used to be a very common bird in the UK. In fact, in the early 20th century it was more abundant than the blackbird. However, since the 1940s, blackbirds have flourished, making them a more familiar bird these days. Between 1970 and 2010, the UK song thrush population declined by 54 per cent.
What does a female song thrush look like?
what do they look like? A Song Thrush can often be identified by its dark brown/orange colour, black beak and brown/pink legs Although similar in appearance to the Mistle Thrush and Redwing, they are actually much smaller than the Mistle Thrush and has smaller, spotted markings along with darker feathers.
What eats a thrush bird?
Thrush Predators and Threats They include snakes, squirrels, raccoons, weasels, chipmunks, mice, and the scourge of songbirds, the pet cat These birds are also preyed upon by other birds, including species of jays, crows, ravens, and birds of prey such as owls and sharp-shinned hawks. Even humans used to eat thrushes.
Do song thrushes return to the same nest?
It is a neat structure of twigs, grass and moss, cemented together and thickly lined with mud, dung and rotten wood, often mixed with leaves. It can take three weeks to complete. Sometimes the same nest is used for successive broods.
Are thrush native to New Zealand?
The New Zealand thrush, or Piopio, was an endemic, but now extinct, passerine on New Zealand It was widely distributed on both the North and the South Island, from north of Auckland to Steven Island [1].
What is a black bird with yellow beak called?
At a distance, starlings look black. In summer they are purplish-green iridescent with yellow beaks; in fresh winter plumage they are brown, covered in brilliant white spots.
What bird is black with orange beak?
The bright orange-yellow beak and eye-ring make adult male blackbirds one of the most striking garden birds.
Are there skylarks in NZ?
British immigrants had a sentimental attachment to skylarks, and from 1864 introduced many to New Zealand. They became common throughout the country , and are most prominent in sand dunes, open farmland and tussock grasslands.
Can a crow and a magpie mate?
Hybridisation between Carrion Crow and Magpie has not been documented, but hybridisation between the very similar Hooded Crow and Magpie has (www.bird-hybrids.com/references.php) so I’d say it is theoretically possible, but very unlikely.
Do birds mate with their siblings?
They are often monogamous, but within certain family groups, as many as 32 percent of individuals may mate with birds other than their mates ; in particular, females may mate with family members in exchange for procuring more food for their young. Originally published in the January 2010 issue of BirdScope.
Can a cardinal and a blue jay mate?
But whatever color a blue jay/cardinal mix might be, Marilyn’s answer was that the birds “belong to different species, so they won’t crossbreed” She is right about blue jays and cardinals–no crossbred specimens are known.
Where do song thrush go in winter?
Song thrushes are sensitive to hard winter weather. Winter territories are abandoned during periods of severe weather, when many birds move southwards, even as far as north-west France and northern Spain Considerable numbers of Dutch birds spend the winter in the UK.
Where have all the song thrushes gone?
Every winter hundreds of thousands of thrushes leave continental Europe to spend the winter months on this side of the North Sea. Once here, they can seemingly disappear into the diverse UK countryside.
Why are starlings so greedy?
Starlings do this as they evolved to feed quickly in flocks , rather than because they are greedy. It’s not their fault but it can get expensive so if this is a problem, try providing food, especially fat products, in feeders that exclude larger birds.
What is a Murmuration phenomena?
Murmuration refers to the phenomenon that results when hundreds, sometimes thousands, of starlings fly in swooping, intricately coordinated patterns through the sky Maybe you’ve seen a murmuration video before. But this one is especially beautiful.
What bird looks like a small thrush?
Adult. The Ovenbird is a warbler, not a thrush; it’s smaller, with a sharper bill and shorter legs than a Wood Thrush. They have a streaked, not spotted breast, and black stripes on the crown that Wood Thrushes lack.
How many types of thrush are there in the UK?
ID Guide to British Thrushes (Turdus) Although this is one of the most species-rich genera in the world, including over 60 species, in Britain we only have three resident species and three migratory species.
What is the difference between a redwing and a Fieldfare?
Fieldfares are bigger in comparison to redwings , generally similar in size and shape to the mistle thrush. They have a longer tail compared to the redwing and stand upright and generally move on the ground by hopping about.
What does a Fieldfare look like?
What do fieldfares look like? The fieldfare is a large member of the thrush family and is slightly bigger than a blackbird. It has a characteristic blue-grey head with a yellow beak, brown-grey wings and a speckled breast Not to be confused with: the redwing.
How do you identify a Fieldfare?
How to identify. The fieldfare has a chestnut-brown back and yellowy breast, streaked with black It has a black tail, dark wings and pale grey rump and head. It is a little smaller than the similar-looking mistle thrush, but quite distinctive.
Citations
https://www.vinehousefarm.co.uk/birds/song-thrush
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/thrushes-chats-flycatchers-starling-dipper-and-wren/song-thrush
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/birdwatching/how-to-identify-birds/thrashing-out-the-different-thrushes/