[3], Desiderius Erasmus's early sixteenth-century collection of Latin proverbs included Turdus malum sibi ipse cacat, (the thrush himself excretes his own trouble), which refers to the use of the sticky mistletoe berries favoured by this species as an ingredient in birdlime, used to trap birds. Ring Ouzel. Did you know that the mistletoe plant is actually a parasite? [11], The mistle thrush is a partial migrant: birds from the north and east of the range wintering in the milder areas of Europe and North Africa. [11], Plant food includes the fruits and seeds of bushes and trees, mainly holly, yew, ivy and mistletoe, but also, for example, blackberry, cherry, elder, hawthorn, olive and rose. It is a year-round resident in a large part of its range, but northern and eastern populations migrate south for the winter, often in small flocks. [1][11] In the winter 2017/2018 the first record of a mistle thrush for North America was at Miramichi in New Brunswick. [11], There is evidence that this species has changed its natural habitat in at least parts of its range. Nesting. The population of mistle thrush plummeted in the 1970s and 1980s for reasons as yet unclear, but this decline seems to have halted and there are currently 230,000 pairs in Britain. They are less closely related to other European thrush species such as the blackbird (T. merula) which are descended from ancestors that had colonised the Caribbean islands from Africa and subsequently reached Europe from there. [6][54], Mistle Thrush and Alpine Chough, by Giovanni da Udine, an artist who worked in Raphael's studio in the 16th century, was a sketch for his Bird with Garland and Fruit, and this in turn was the basis for a Raphael fresco in the Apostolic Palace. The spotting becomes denser on the lower chest, giving the appearance of a breast-band. 207076, Scotland no. Ron Knight Jarek Matusiak Turdus philomelos. Mistle and Song Thrush IDentification - Solved. The flight consists of undulating bounds interspersed with glides. Mistletoe is favoured where it is available, and this is reflected in the thrush's English and scientific names; the plant, a parasitic species, benefits from its seeds being excreted by the thrush onto branches where they can germinate. Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. You have been logged out of the system due to inactivity. [42] The eggs and chicks may be targeted by cats and corvids. Nominate T. v. viscivorus breeds in Europe and in Asia east to the Ob, beyond which it is replaced by T. v. bonapartei. What is this? Between mid-October and November, large numbers cross the Strait of Gibraltar and others pass through Cyprus, but there is hardly any migration across the North Sea. [14] It weighs 93 to 167 g (3.3 to 5.9 oz),[3] with an average of around 130 g (4.6 oz). What kind? Or can you share information on its content - timings of key sections or important details? [11][16] The song may be heard in any month, although it is uncommon from July to August while the thrush is moulting. Our herring gulls are red listed birds. The nest is built by the female, although the male may help. Please note flash is required to use the features of this site. The legs and feet are yellowish-brown. Not to be confused with: the song thrush, which is much smaller and has warmer brown tones. Breeding birds in the British Isles and north-west Europe are resident or move only short distances. Mistle 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. The southern form T. v. deichleri is resident in North Africa, Corsica and Sardinia. [14] It has a stocky upright posture when on the ground. [63], A bird in the family Turdidae from Europe, Asia and North Africa, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, International Union for Conservation of Nature, 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22708829A87878799.en, "Continuous 300,000-year fossil record: changes in the ornithofauna of Biśnik Cave, Poland", "Surviving on berries, celebrity mistle thrush settles in for Miramichi winter", "118th Christmas Bird Count: Canada Summary", "Population dynamics and social behavior of the Mistle Thrush, "Zur Siedlungsbiologie und Ökologie des Uhus (, "Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga) The Decemberists", Ageing and sexing (PDF; 4.3 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mistle_thrush&oldid=973379108, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 16 August 2020, at 22:13. Log in to add a term that describes this item and help make it easier to find. Cormorant seen at Aldeburgh, Suffolk. Legal and ethical usage ». IUCN Red List least concern species. Juvenile birds have a partial moult, replacing their head, body, and covert feathers; this is completed by October, although the start of the moult depends on when the chicks hatched. Black Redstart. [51] Blood parasites can include Trypanosoma and Plasmodium species. A familiar and popular garden songbird whose numbers have declined markedly on farmland and in towns and cities. [17] The mistle thrush has been known to kill slowworms and the young of the song thrush, blackbird and dunnock. It has greyish-brown upperparts, a long tail and a plump white belly with heavy, dark brown spots. Mistle and Song Thrush IDentification - Solved . By their first winter they are very similar to adults, but the underparts are usually more buff-toned. "Holm thrush", "hollin cock" and "holm cock" are based on obsolete names for the holly tree, which may be defended by the thrush in winter for its berries. The eyes are dark brown and the bill is blackish with a yellowish base to the lower mandible. What do mistle thrushes look like? Other chats and thrushes. (24), Thrushes [3] Territories are larger in woods than in farmland. The mistle thrush is a larger bird than the song thrush with grey-brown upperparts, a boldly spotted breast, and a very distinctive white underwing in flight. [59] The loud call of this common and conspicuous bird also led to many old or local names, including "screech", "shrite" and "gawthrush". [26] David Attenborough presents the mistle thrush. The male has a loud, far- Found in open woods, parks, hedges and cultivated land, the mistle thrush feeds on a wide variety of invertebrates, seeds and berries. Northern Wheatear. It is larger and paler than the similar song thrush, standing upright and bold. In Germany and elsewhere in central Europe, it was found only in coniferous forest until the mid-1920s when its range rapidly expanded, first into farmland, and then to suburbs and urban parks. (2). I don't know if it's the same for everyone, but I seem to find the white fringing on the feathers on the mistlethrush (or lack thereof) to be the most helpful clue in the field. [11] Snails are sometimes smashed on a stone "anvil", a technique also used by the song thrush. S . [9][10], At least eight subspecies have been proposed, but the differences are mainly clinal, with birds of the nominate subspecies becoming paler and less densely spotted in the east of the range. When Asian breeders are added, this gives a global total of 12.2–44.4 million. Life expectancy is typically three years,[14] but the maximum age recorded from bird ringing recoveries is 21 years and 3 months for a bird shot in Switzerland. [17] Courtship feeding of the female by her partner has sometimes been observed. The song of the male mistle thrush, recorded at Culver, Devon. In the winter, a Mistle Thrush will often vigorously defend a berry laden bush from other thrushes. Its habit of repeating song phrases distinguish it from singing blackbirds. The mistle thrush likely got its name from its love of Mistletoe - it will defend a berry-laden tree with extreme ferocity! [24] The male will attack intruders into its breeding area, including birds of prey and corvids,[11] and sometimes cats or humans. There are no plumage differences between the sexes. [11] Mistle thrush fossils have been found in Pleistocene deposits from Poland and Sicily. Its legs are yellow-brown in colour. [25] Their territories are much larger than those of blackbirds or song thrushes;[11] although the nest territory is only about 0.6 hectares (1.5 acres), around 15–17 ha (37–42 acres) is used for feeding. [24] It expanded rapidly into lowland and coastal areas of Europe during the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century, colonising areas where it was formerly rare or absent, such as Ireland (where it first bred in 1807), Scotland and the Netherlands. [16] The trees are defended against other thrushes as well as birds such as the bullfinch and great spotted woodpecker. [43], External parasites of the mistle thrush include the hen flea, the moorhen flea, the castor bean tick and the brightly coloured harvest mite. The common chaffinch often nests close to a mistle thrush, the vigilance of the chaffinch and the aggressive behaviour of the thrush benefiting both species. The range also increased in Denmark, Norway, Hungary and Austria. [7], There are more than 60 species of medium to large thrushes in the genus Turdus, characterised by rounded heads, longish pointed wings, and usually melodious songs. [11] In the highlands of Europe, its preferred altitude is from 800–1,800 m (2,600–5,900 ft). [11][16] It is often likened to the sound of a football rattle, a form of musical ratchet. [4][5][6] The bird's liking for mistletoe berries is also indicated by its English name, "mistle" being an old name for the plant. The largest thrush species in the UK, the mistle thrush measures around 28cm in length. The Mistle Thrush's diet is the same as the Song Thrush's: insects, worms, slugs but rarely snails, and berries, such as yew, rowan, hawthorn and holly. [23], Mistle thrushes are found as individuals or pairs for much of the year, although families forage together in late summer,[11] and groups may merge to form large flocks when food sources are plentiful. So all we have to do is look for the beer belly - or the absence of one? [44][45][46] Internally, they can suffer from parasites including tapeworm,[47][48] nematodes,[49][50] and Syngamus merulae (a species of Gapeworm). Find out where you can see mistletoe growing around the country. Not me," he said. Uninformative entries may not be retained. The song is given from a treetop or other elevated position mainly from November to early June. Purchases of bird food and accessories from Vine House Farm raises money for local Wildlife Trusts, while supporting a wildlife friendly…, Ways to get involved and help wildlife and support your Wildlife Trust. [3], In a study carried out in Britain, the survival rate for juveniles in their first year is 57 per cent, and the adult annual survival rate is 62 per cent. [11] Vagrant birds have occurred in the Azores, China, Crete, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Japan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sikkim and the United Arab Emirates. [3], The mistle thrush breeds in much of Europe and temperate Asia, although it is absent from the treeless far north, and its range becomes discontinuous in southeast Europe, Turkey and the Middle East. It is a year-round resident in a large part of its range, but northern and eastern populations migrate south for the winter, often in small flocks. It’s more melancholy and slurred than a blackbird, almost drunk-sounding, and louder, and they have a habit of singing in all-weathers, which is where their old name of ‘stormcock’ comes from. The highly nutritious fruits are favoured by the thrush, which digests the flesh leaving the sticky seeds to be excreted, possibly in a suitable location for germination. Discover birds through their songs and calls. [18] There is also a squeaky tuk contact call. Full sound archive catalogue [11] Sometimes the same nest is reused for both broods. [62], In Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden, Dickon reassures Mary Lennox that he will keep his knowledge of the garden secret by comparing her to a mistle thrush in defence of its nest, recognising his privilege in sharing her secret: "If tha' was a missel thrush an' showed me where thy nest was, does tha' think I'd tell any one?