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Chats and thrushes
Small, quite slender or robin-like birds with fine bills and slender legs, slim and sometimes colourful tails and short, round wings; also some small, upright, short-tailed birds of open areas. Some intermediate species closer to thrushes, such as the nightingales and bush robins. Thrushes are generally larger, often spotted underneath, but in some species, males are unspotted and clearly different from females. Many are superb songsters. There are many thrushes worldwide; four breed in the UK and two others are regular in winter, but several more have appeared on rare occasions; chats include six regular breeders and several rare visitors. Members of this familyThis list only includes birds that occur regularly within the UK. The black redstart is a small robin-sized bird that has adapted to live at the heart of industrial and urban centres. Its name comes from the plumage of the male, which is grey-black in colour with a ... |  |
The bright orange-yellow beak and eye-ring make adult male blackbirds one of the most striking garden birds. Find out more... |  |
A small robin-like bird, the male is unmistakable in spring with his bright blue throat, bordered below with bands of black, white and chestnut. Its central throat spot can be white or chestnut. The... |  |
In October, watch out for fieldfares returning to spend the winter in the UK |  |
This big, bold spotty thrush is very territorial when it comes to its favourite berry bushes. Listen for its harsh 'football rattle' call. |  |
Nightingales are slightly larger than robins, with a robust, broad-tailed, rather plain brown appearance. They are skulking and extremely local in their distribution in the UK while in much of souther... |  |
Redstarts are immediately identifiable by their bright orange-red tails, which they often quiver. Breeding males look smart, with slate grey upper parts, black faces and wings, and an orange rump and... |  |
This winter visitor is the UK's smallest thrush, but still manages to reach our shores all the way from Scandinavia. |  |
Slightly smaller and slimmer than a blackbird - male ring ouzels are particularly distinctive with their black plumage with a pale wing panel and striking white breast band. They tend to be shyer tha... |  |
One of the UK's favourite winter birds, the robin is a surprisingly feisty character. |  |
Speckle-breasted song thrushes are always a joy to see in the garden. |  |
Stonechats are robin sized birds. Males have striking black heads with white around the side of their neck, orange-red breasts and a mottled brown back. Females lack the male's black head, but have ... |  |
Look out for wheatears on open ground as they stop off on their migration to wintering grounds in Africa. |  |
The whinchat is a small perching bird. It hops or runs on the ground and often perches on top of low bushes. It has a prominent white stripe above the eye. It is streaky brown above and warm orange-bu... |  |
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