The RSPB: Song thrush

Conservation status: Red

A familiar and popular garden songbird whose numbers are declining seriously, especially on farmland making it a Red List species. Smaller and browner than a mistle thrush with smaller spotting. Its habit of repeating song phrases distinguish it from singing blackbirds. It likes to eat snails which it breaks into by smashing them against a stone with a flick of the head.

Overview

Latin name

Turdus philomelos

Family

Chats and thrushes (Turdidae)

Where to see them

Woods, hedgerows, parks and gardens across the UK - wherever there are bushes and trees.

When to see them

All year round.

What they eat

Worms, snails and fruit.

Population

Europe	UK breeding*	UK wintering*	UK passage*
-	1,144,000 territories	-	-

* UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.