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  • Song thrush

Song thrush

Song thrush
Song thrush
  • Scientific name: Turdus philomelos
  • Bird family: Thrushes
  • UK conservation status: Red
  • Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Song thrush call audio

Your browser does not support this audio feature.

Patrik Aberg, xeno-canto

Key information

A familiar and popular garden songbird whose numbers have declined markedly on farmland and in towns and cities. It's 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.

What they eat:

Worms, snails and fruit.

Measurements:

Length:
23cm
Wingspan:
33-36cm
Weight:
65-100g

Population:

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.
UK breeding:
1,200,000 territories

Identifying features:

Song thrush

Song thrush
Feather colour: Black Brown Cream/buff Orange White
Leg colour: Brown Pink
Beak: Black Medium length Medium thickness
Natural habitats: Woodland Farmland Grassland Urban and suburban

Similar birds:

Mistle thrush
Mistle thrush
Redwing illustration
Redwing

Where and when to see them

Woods, hedgerows, parks and gardens across the UK - wherever there are bushes and trees you will find song thrushes.

* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Summer
  • Winter
Song thrush distribution map

You can see song thrushes all year round.

  • jan
  • feb
  • mar
  • apr
  • may
  • jun
  • jul
  • aug
  • sep
  • oct
  • nov
  • dec

RSPB reserves

  • RSPB Fairy Glen
  • RSPB Flatford Wildlife Garden
  • RSPB Highnam Woods

Video

A song thrush feasts on berries

A song thrush feasts on berries

Song thrush amid red berries
Close-up of a song thrush

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In more depth

Nesting and breeding habits

Nesting and breeding habits

Territory and behaviour

Territory and behaviour

Threats

Threats

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