Song Thrush - Turdus philomelos

Song Thrush

Turdus philomelos

Order : Passeriformes

Family : Turdidae ;

Biometrics :

Size : 23 cm
Wingspan : 33 à 36 cm
Weight : 65 à 90 g

Longevity : 14 years

IUCN conservation status :

Extinct

Threatened

Least
concern

Extinc
in the Wild

Near
threatened

Not
evaluated

EX EW CR EN VU NT LC NE

Geographic range :

Synonyms : Pevchy Drozd (ru), Taltrast (sv), Zorzal común (es), Tordo bottaccio (it), Singdrossel (al), Zanglijster (nl), Song Thrush (en)

Physical description :
Song Thrush is a stocky bird. Upperparts and head are brown. Underparts are whitish, with buff colour and black or dark brown speckles on breast and flanks. Belly and vent are white. Underwing coverts are orange buff. Brown tail is rather short.
Head is brown. Bill is brown. Eyes are relatively large and dark brown. Legs and feet are pale pink.
Both sexes are similar.
Juvenile has buff streaking on upperparts, and rather round spots on underparts. Wing feathers have yellowish tips.

Voice :
Sound from CD 'Tous les Oiseaux d'Europe' by Jean C. Roché by courtesy of Sittelle and CEBA. Song Thrush utters its beautiful song from a perch. Song is a series of clear, musical phrases. Each note may be repeated 3 to 4 times before the next phrase. Each phrase includes 2 or 3 syllables.
Most frequent call is a weak 'sip' or 'tik' given in flight. Alarm call is a loud 'chick', repeated in a short chatter.

Habitat : Song Thrush lives in a wide variety of wooded habitats, with dense undergrowth, in forests, parks, gardens, and in hedgerows.
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE: Song Thrush is common over much of Europe and temperate areas of western former URSS.
Northern populations migrate to west and south of Europe to winter.

Behaviour : Song Thrush is a ground feeding bird. It moves with short runs or hops. Most of its food is collected on the ground, as animal or plant matter. It forages in bushes and hedges, but it also frequents bird-feeders in winter, collecting food under the table.
Song Thrush feeds on snails. It breaks it against a stone, as an anvil, to get access to the nutritious body inside the shell. Song Thrush is unique in this behaviour.
Song Thrush is often seen alone or in pairs, but during winter, they may gather with other turdidae. They fly separately when migrate, but in the same stream with some distance between them.
Song Thrush sings from a perch, rarely from the ground or in flight. It sings from dawn to dusk, and all year round, except in summer when they are moulting.
Courtship displays include songs by male, and some displays. Male turns around a female, with fanned tail flattened on the ground, while it puts the head on the back with open bill.

Flight : Song Thrush usually has a low flight. But it also performs a fast, strong and direct flight, slightly undulating. We can see the buffy underwings during the flight.

Reproduction-nesting : Song Thrush's nest is often built in March by female. Male stays in nearby tree singing. Nest is a bulky cup made with grasses and varied plant materials, and mud. It is lined with rootlets and fine grasses, and with saliva. It is located in small trees or bushes.
Female lays 4 to 5 blue eggs, slightly marked with black or brown. Incubation lasts about 11 to 15 days, by female. Chicks hatch altricial, covered with long pale buff down on head and back. Both parents feed the young. They fledge at about 12 to 15 days of age. Parents protect and feed them during 15 to 20 days more, before they are independent.
This species produces two or three broods per season.

Food habits : Song Thrush feeds mainly on worms and snails, but also on insects, larvae and fallen fruit.

Protection / threats : Song Thrush is widespread and numerous in most of Europe.
This species may be threatened by changes in agricultural practices, with removal of hedgerows, causing a loss of nesting sites, and by the use of pesticides.
Predation by corvidae and foxes also plays an important role in some declines.

Other links :
Iucn
Birdlife

Specification sheet created by Nicole Bouglouan

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Updated on 2008/05/04 05:30:55 - © 1996-2008 Oiseaux.net