Species: Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
Family: Thrushes and Chats (TURDIDAE)
Category: Birds
Location: NW
A. Birds
More extensive information on birds can be found in a separate blog post.
B. Thrushes and Chats (TURDIDAE)
Thrushes are predominantly unspecialised, omnivorous, ground foragers. Many are brown, the colour of turds, hence the family name. Most are monogamous, some being highly gregarious in the non-breeding season like our Winter thrushes, the Redwings and Fieldfares. Thrushes are melodious singers, and among the earliest contributors to the dawn chorus.
C. Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
The name comes from its fondness for mistletoe berries, which plant it helps spread. It is a resident breeder and Winter visitor, whose numbers have declined considerably. 165,000 pairs were recorded in 2016, giving a conservation status of RED. As one of our earliest breeders, it will often lay in February. Its folk name is Storm Cock, as it sings in bad weather, and it is said to presage rain if it sings from the top of a high tree into the wind.
Images
Mistle Thrush
The name Mistle Thrush comes from the bird's fondness for mistletoe berries, which plant it helps spread.
