Song thrush

Description

The song thrush is a passerine bird of the thrush family, the size of a blackbird but more slender. Its upperparts are a warm, uniform brown and its underparts pale, cream or buff, scattered with numerous dark drop-shaped spots. Males and females look alike. It is known above all for its song: a sequence of short, melodious musical phrases, each repeated several times.

Habitat and distribution

It breeds across much of the western and central Palearctic. It frequents woods, parks, gardens, orchards and hedgerows with trees. Northern populations are migratory and winter in western Europe and the Mediterranean. It has also been introduced to Australia and New Zealand.

Behaviour

It feeds on earthworms, insects, berries and fruit. It has a characteristic way of dealing with snails: it grasps them and hammers them against a hard stone, its 'anvil', to break the shell and eat the contents. Its powerful, varied song is delivered from high perches, especially at dawn and dusk.

Did you know?

The song thrush's song, with its repeated phrases, has inspired many poets and naturalists. Its habit of breaking snails on anvil-stones is a rare example of tool use among European birds.

Conservation

It is classed as least concern, but in some regions populations are declining, through the loss of hedgerows, agricultural intensification and pesticide use that reduce earthworms and insects.

(Note: the mass value given by Wikidata, 6 kg, is clearly wrong: the song thrush actually weighs about 65–90 grams.)