song thrush

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Song Thrush 1

Song Thrush

Song Thrush

Singing in the Netherlands

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Turdidae

Genus: Turdus

Species: T. philomelos

Binomial name

Turdus philomelos

Brehm, 1831

Breeding rangeyellow

Winter rangeblue

Present all yeargreen

The Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) is a thrush that breeds across much of Eurasia. It is also known in English

dialects as throstle or mavis. It has brown upperparts and black-spotted cream or buff underparts and has three

recognised subspecies. Its distinctive song, which has repeated musical phrases, has frequently been referred to in

poetry.

The Song Thrush breeds in forests, gardens and parks, and is partially migratory with many birds wintering in

southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East; it has also been introduced into New Zealand and Australia.
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Song Thrush 2

Although it is not threatened globally, there have been serious population declines in parts of Europe, possibly due to

changes in farming practices.

The Song Thrush builds a neat mud-lined cup nest in a bush or tree and lays four or five dark-spotted blue eggs. It is

omnivorous and has the habit of using a favourite stone as an "anvil" on which to break open the shells of snails.

Like other perching birds (passerines), it is affected by external and internal parasites and is vulnerable to predation

by cats and birds of prey.

Taxonomy and systematics

Name

The Song Thrush was described by German ornithologist Christian Ludwig Brehm in 1831, and still bears its

original scientific name, Turdus philomelos. The generic name, Turdus, is the Latin for thrush, and the specific

epithet refers to a character in Greek mythology, Philomela, who had her tongue cut out, but was changed into a

singing bird. Her name is derived from the Ancient Greekphilo- (loving), andmelos (song). The dialect

names throstle and mavis both mean thrush, being related to the German drossel and French mauvis respectively.

Throstle dates back to at least the fourteenth century and was used by Chaucer in theParliament of Fowls. Mavis is

derived via Middle English mavys and Old French mauvis from Middle Breton milhuytmeaning "thrush." Mavis

() can also mean "purple" in Greek.

Classification

A parent feeding chicks in their nest in a New

Zealand garden

A recent molecular study indicates that the Song Thrush's closest

relatives are the similarly plumaged Mistle Thrush (T. viscivorus) and

the Chinese Thrush (T. mupinensis); these three species are early

offshoots from the lineage of Turdus thrushes before they diversified

and spread across the globe, and hence are less closely related to otherEuropean thrush species such as the Blackbird. (T. merula)

The Song Thrush has three subspecies, with the nominate subspecies,

T. p. philomelos, covering the majority of the species' range. T. p.

hebridensis, described by British ornithologist William Eagle Clarke in

1913, is a mainly sedentary (non-migratory) form found in the Outer

Hebrides and Isle of Skye in Scotland. It is the darkest subspecies, with

a dark brown back, greyish rump, pale buff background colour to the

underparts and grey-tinged flanks.

T. p. clarkei, described by German zoologist Ernst Hartert in 1909, andnamed for William Eagle Clarke, breeds in the rest of Great Britain and

Ireland and on mainland Europe in France, Belgium, the Netherlands

and possibly somewhat further east. It has brown upperparts which are

warmer in tone than those of the nominate form, an olive-tinged rump and rich yellow background colour to the

underparts. It is a partial migrant with some birds wintering in southern France and Iberia. This form intergrades

with the nominate subspecies in central Europe, and with T. p. hebridensis in the Inner Hebrides and western

Scotland, and in these areas birds show intermediate characteristics. Additional subspecies, such as T. p. nataliae of

Siberia, proposed by the Russian Sergei Buturlin in 1929, are not widely accepted.
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Song Thrush 3

Description

The Song Thrush (as represented by the nominate subspecies T. p. philomelos) is 20 to 23.5 centimetres (8 to

9.25 in) in length and weighs 50107 grammes (1.8 to 3.8 oz). The sexes are similar, with plain brown backs and

neatly black-spotted cream or yellow-buff underparts, becoming paler on the belly. The underwing is warm yellow,

the bill is yellowish and the legs and feet are pink. The upperparts of this species become colder in tone from west to

east across the breeding range from Sweden to Siberia. The juvenile resembles the adult, but has buff or orangestreaks on the back and wing coverts.

In flight

The most similar European thrush species is the Redwing (T. iliacus), but that

bird has a strong white supercilium, red flanks, and shows a red underwing in

flight. The Mistle Thrush (T. viscivorus) is much larger and has white tail

corners, and the Chinese Thrush (T. mupinensis), although much more similar in

plumage, has black face markings and does not overlap in range.

The Song Thrush has a short, sharp tsip call, replaced on migration by a thin high

seep, similar to the Redwing's call but shorter. The alarm call is a chook-chook

becoming shorter and more strident with increasing danger. The male's song,given from trees, rooftops or other elevated perches, is a loud clear run of

musical phrases, repeated two to four times, filip filip filip codidio codidio

quitquiquit tittit tittit tereret tereret tereret, and interspersed with grating notes

and mimicry. It is given mainly from February to June by the Outer Hebridean

race, but from November to July by the more widespread subspecies. For its

weight, this species has one of the loudest bird calls.

An individual male may have a repertoire of more than 100 phrases, many copied from its parents and neighbouring

birds. Mimicry may include the imitation of man-made items like telephones, and the Song Thrush will also repeat

the calls of captive birds, including exotics such as the White-faced Whistling Duck.

Distribution and habitat

Fully grown in New Zealand

The Song Thrush breeds in most of Europe (although not in the greater

part of Iberia, lowland Italy or southern Greece), and across the

Ukraine and Russia almost to Lake Baikal. It reaches to 75N in

Norway, but only to about 60N in Siberia. Birds from Scandinavia,

Eastern Europe and Russia winter around the Mediterranean, North

Africa and the Middle East, but only some of the birds in the milder

west of the breeding range leave their breeding areas.

Birds of the nominate subspecies were introduced to New Zealand and

Australia by acclimatisation societies between 1860 and 1880,

apparently for purely sentimental reasons. In New Zealand, where it

was introduced on both the main islands, the Song Thrush quickly

established itself and spread to surrounding islands such as the

Kermadecs, Chatham and Auckland Islands. Although it is common

and widespread in New Zealand, in Australia only a small population survives around Melbourne. In New Zealand,

there appears to be a limited detrimental effect on some invertebrates due to predation by introduced bird species,

and the Song Thrush also damages
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Song Thrush 4

Nominate subspecies in Lithuania

Juvenile in New Zealand

commercial fruit crops in that country. As an introduced species it has

no legal protection in New Zealand, and can be killed at any time.

Juvenile song thrush in forest understory near

Dombaih, Russia (Caucasus Mountains)

The Song Thrush typically nests in forest with good undergrowth and

nearby more open areas, and in western Europe also uses gardens and

parks. It breeds up to the tree-line, reaching 2,200 metres (7,250 ft) inSwitzerland. The island subspecies T. p. hebridensis breeds in more

open country, including heathland, and in the east of the Song Thrush's

Eurasian range, the nominate subspecies is restricted to the edge of the

dense conifer forests.

In intensively farmed areas where agricultural practices appear to have

made cropped land unsuitable, gardens are an important breeding

habitat. In one English study, only 3.5% of territories were found in

farmland, whereas gardens held 71.5% of the territories, despite that

habitat making up only 2% of the total area. The remaining nests were in woodlands (1% of total area).

The winter habitat is similar to that used for breeding, except that high ground and other exposed localities are

avoided; however, the island subspecies T. p. hebridensis will frequent the seashore in winter.

Behaviour and ecology

Song

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Song Thrush 5

The Song Thrush is not usually gregarious, although several birds may roost together in winter or be loosely

associated in suitable feeding habitats, perhaps with other thrushes such as the Blackbird, Fieldfare, Redwing and

Dark-throated Thrush. Unlike the more nomadic Fieldfare and Redwing, the Song Thrush tends to return regularly to

the same wintering areas.

This is a monogamous territorial species, and in areas where it is fully migratory, the male re-establishes its breeding

territory and starts singing as soon as he returns. In the milder areas where some birds stay year round, the resident

male remains in his breeding territory, singing intermittently, but the female may establish a separate individual

wintering range until pair formation begins in the early spring.

During migration, the Song Thrush travels mainly at night with a strong and direct flight action. It flies in loose

flocks which cross the sea on a broad front rather than concentrating at short crossings (as occurs in the migration of

large soaring birds), and calls frequently to maintain contact. Migration may start as early as late August in the most

easterly and northerly parts of the range, but the majority of birds, with shorter distances to cover, head south from

September to mid-December. However, hard weather may force further movement. Return migration varies between

mid-February around the Mediterranean to May in northern Sweden and central Siberia. Vagrants have been

recorded in Greenland, various Atlantic islands, and West Africa.

Breeding and survival

Three eggs in a nest

The female Song Thrush builds a neat cup-shaped nest lined with mud and dry

grass in a bush, tree or creeper, or, in the case of the Hebridean subspecies, on

the ground. She lays four or five bright glossy blue eggs which are lightly spotted

with black or purple; they are typically 2.7 x 2.0 centimetres (0.79 x 1.06 in) in

size and weigh 6.0 grammes (0.21 oz), of which 6% is shell. The female

incubates the eggs alone for 1017 days, and after hatching a similar time elapses

until the young fledge. Two or three broods in a year is normal, although only

one may be raised in the north of the range. On average, 54.6% of British

juveniles survive the first year of life, and the adult annual survival rate is 62.2%.

The typical lifespan is three years, but the maximum recorded age is 10 years

8 months. The Song Thrush is occasionally a host of parasitic cuckoos, such as

the Common Cuckoo, but this is very rare because the thrush recognizes the

cuckoo's non-mimetic eggs. However, the Song Thrush does not demonstrate the

same aggression toward the adult Cuckoo that is shown by the Blackbird. The

introduced birds in New Zealand, where the cuckoo does not occur, have, over

the past 130 years, retained the ability to recognise and reject non-mimetic eggs.

Adult birds may be killed by cats, Little Owls and Sparrowhawks, and eggs and nestlings are taken by Magpies,Jays, and, where present, Grey Squirrels. As with other passerine birds, parasites are common, and include

endoparasites, such as the nematode Splendidofilaria (Avifilaria) mavis whose specific name mavis derives from this

thrush. A Russian study of blood parasites showed that all the Fieldfares, Redwings and Song Thrushes sampled

carried haematozoans, particularly Haemoproteus and Trypanosoma. Ixodes ticks are also common, and can carry

pathogens, including tick-borne encephalitis in forested areas of central and eastern Europe and Russia, and, more

widely, Borrelia bacteria. Some species ofBorrelia cause Lyme disease, and ground-feeding birds like the Song

Thrush may act as a reservoir for the disease.
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Song Thrush 6

Feeding

Broken shells of Grove snails on an 'anvil'

The Song Thrush is omnivorous, eating a wide range of invertebrates,

especially earthworms and snails, as well as soft fruit and berries. Like

its relative, the Blackbird, the Song Thrush finds animal prey by sight,

has a run-and-stop hunting technique on open ground, and will

rummage through leaf-litter seeking potential food items.

Land snails are an especially important food item when drought or hard

weather makes it difficult to find other food. The thrush often uses a

favourite stone as an "anvil" on which to break the shell of the snail

before extracting the soft body and invariably wiping it on the ground

before consumption. Young birds initially flick objects and attempt to

play with them until they learn to use anvils as tools to smash snails. The nestlings are mainly fed on animal food

such as worms, slugs, snails and insect larvae.

The Grove Snail (Cepaea nemoralis) is regularly eaten by the Song Thrush, and its polymorphic shell patterns have

been suggested as evolutionary responses to reduce predation; however, Song Thrushes may not be the only selectiveforce involved.

Status and conservation

In New Zealand

The Song Thrush has an extensive range, estimated at

10 million square kilometres (3.8 million square miles), and a large

population, with an estimated 40 to 71 million individuals in Europe

alone.

In the western Palaearctic, there is evidence of population decline, but

at a level below the threshold required for global conservation concern(i.e., a reduction in numbers of more than 30% in ten years or three

generations) and the IUCN Red List categorises this species as of

"Least Concern". In Great Britain and the Netherlands, there has been a

more than 50% decline in population and the Song Thrush is included

in regional Red Lists. The decreases are greatest in farmlands (73%

since the mid-1970s) and believed to be due to changes in agricultural practices in recent decades. The precise

reasons for the decline are not known but may be related to the loss of hedgerows, a move to sowing crops in autumn

rather than spring, and possibly the increased use of pesticides. These changes may have reduced the availability of

food and of nest sites. In gardens, the use of poison bait to control slugs and snails may pose a threat and in urban

areas, some thrushes are killed while using the hard surface of roads to smash snails.
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Song Thrush 7

Relationship with humans

West Bromwich Albion's former

club crest, replaced in 2006 with a

modified crest also featuring a Song

Thrush.

The Song Thrush's characteristic song, with melodic phrases repeated twice or

more, is described by the nineteenth-century British poet Robert Browning in his

poemHome Thoughts, from Abroad:

That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,

Lest you should think he never could recapture

The first fine careless rapture!

The song also inspired the nineteenth-century British writer Thomas Hardy, who

spoke in Darkling Thrush of the bird's "full-hearted song evensong/Of joy

illimited", but twentieth-century British poet Ted Hughes in Thrushes

concentrated on its hunting prowess: "Nothing but bounce and/stab/and a

ravening second". Nineteenth-century Welsh poet Edward Thomas wrote

15 poems concerning Blackbirds or thrushes, including The Thrush:

I hear the thrush, and I see

Him alone at the end of the lane

Near the bare poplar's tip,

Singing continuously.

In The Tables Turned, Romantic poet William Wordsworth references the Song Thrush, writing

Hark, how blithe the throstle sings

And he is no mean preacher

Come forth into the light of things

Let Nature be your teacher

The Song Thrush is the emblem of West Bromwich Albion Football Club, chosen because the public house in which

the team used to change kept a pet thrush in a cage. It also gave rise to Albion's early nickname, The Throstles.

As food

Thrushes have been trapped for food from as far back as 12,000 years ago and an early reference is found in the

Odyssey: "Then, as doves or thrushes beating their spread wings against some snare rigged up in thicketsflying in

for a cozy nest but a grisly bed receives them." Hunting continues today around the Mediterranean, but is not

believed to be a major factor in this speciesdecline in parts of its range.

In Spain, this species is normally caught as it migrates through the country, often using birdlime which, although

banned by the European Union, is still tolerated and permitted in the Valencian Community. In 2003 and 2004 the

EU tried, but failed, to stop this practice in the Valencian region.
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=European_Unionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Valencian_Communityhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=European_Unionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Birdlimehttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Odysseyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Public_househttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Bromwich_Albion_F.C.https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Wordsworthhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Romanticismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Thomas_%28poet%29https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ted_Hugheshttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_Hardyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Home_Thoughts_from_Abroadhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_Browninghttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3AOld_west_bromwich_albion_crest.pnghttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Bromwich_Albion


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Song Thrush 8

Pet

Up to at least the nineteenth century the Song Thrush was kept as a cage bird because of its melodious voice. As with

hunting, there is little evidence that the taking of wild birds for aviculture has had a significant effect on wild

populations.

References

External links

RSPB species page (http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/songthrush/)

BBC species page (http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/258.shtml)

Birds of Britain species page (http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/song-thrush.asp)

Garden Birds species page (http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/songthrush.htm)

Recording of song (http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/programmes/radio/dawn_chorus/video/songthrush_song.

ram)

Song Thrush videos, photos & sounds (http:/

/

ibc.

lynxeds.

com/

species/

song-thrush-turdus-philomelos) on theInternet Bird Collection

Ageing and sexing (PDF; 1.7 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze (http://www.ibercajalav.

net/img/346_SongThrushTphilomelos.pdf)
http://www.ibercajalav.net/img/346_SongThrushTphilomelos.pdfhttp://www.ibercajalav.net/img/346_SongThrushTphilomelos.pdfhttp://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/song-thrush-turdus-philomeloshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/programmes/radio/dawn_chorus/video/songthrush_song.ramhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/programmes/radio/dawn_chorus/video/songthrush_song.ramhttp://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/songthrush.htmhttp://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/song-thrush.asphttp://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/258.shtmlhttp://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/songthrush/https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aviculture


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Article Sources and Contributors 9

Article Sources and ContributorsSong Thrush Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=558133540 Contributors: A.motis, AK456, Abigail-II, Alansplodge, Ams80, Andreas Trepte, Anthony Appleyard,

Apokryltaros, Art LaPella, Ashot Gabrielyan, Aviceda, Aymatth2, Ba lls2026, Bender235, Br'er Rabbit, Breakinguptheguy, Bruinfan12, CalicoCatLover, Ca sliber, Chris the speller,

Chrisdoyleorwell, Chzz, Circeus, Circle314, Clayoquot, DanielCD, Daonguyen95, Disambiguator, Discospinster, Enchanter, Epbr123, EuTuga, Eugene van der Pijll, First Light, F red Bauder,

Gejan, Gerda Arendt, Harry R, Heinzelmann4, Hello71, Innotata, Invertzoo, Isarra (HG), J36miles, Jameboy, Jannex, Jarble, Jeff G., JerryFriedman, Jethro B, Jimfbleak, Jonathanfu, Jprg1966,

Jwanders, Karl-Henner, Khazar2, Kman543210, Kotare, Kozuch, Kyng, Laikayiu, Laser brain, Lightmouse, LlamaAl, MPF, MPRO, MeegsC, Michael Devore, Mindaugas Urbonas,

Mukkakukaku, Naddy, Narayanese, Nina Gerlach, NuclearWarfare, Ornithodiez, PamD, Panellet, Paparet, Ponyo, Proxima Centauri, Pvmoutside, QFSE Media, RICHARDTREE, Radomil,

RedWolf, Richard001, Rivemont, Rjwilmsi, Rosser1954, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Ruislick0, Sabine's Sunbird, Samsara, ShelfSkewed, Shyamal, Smallweed, Smaug123, Snori, Snowmanradio,Stemonitis, Steven Walling, Sun Creator, TUF-KAT, Tannin, Tarcus, Tbhotch, Template namespace initialisation script, Tiamut, Tide rolls, Tigershrike, TimBentley, TimVickers, Treisijs,

Tris2000, Ucucha, Vicpeters, WBeckon, Wadewitz, White Ash, WikiLambo, Williamb, WroteOddly, Yath, Yomangan, , 68 a nonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributorsfile:Song Thrush Turdus philomelos.jpg Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Song_Thrush_Turdus_philomelos.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5

Contributors: Andreas Trepte

file:Status iucn3.1 LC.svg Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Status_iucn3.1_LC.svg License: unknown Contributors: Clindberg, Foomin10, Ismukhammed, Kelson,

Palosirkka, Pengo, ZxxZxxZ, 8 anonymous edits

file:Tphilomelos.gif Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Tphilomelos.gifLicense: GNU Free Documentation License Contributors: En rouge, Jimfbleak, Misigon, Nordelch,

Tony Wills

File:Turdus philomelos -New Zealand -nest-8 (4).jpg Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Turdus_philomelos_-New_Zealand_-nest-8_(4).jpg License: Creative Commons

Attribution-Sharealike 2.0 Contributors: Jude from New Zealand

File:Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) in flight.jpg Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Song_Thrush_(Turdus_philomelos)_in_flight.jpg License: Creative Commons

Attribution-Sharealike 2.0 Contributors: Mark Kilner

File:Song Thrush-0664.jpg Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Song_Thrush-0664.jpg License: unknown Contributors: User:QFSE Media

File:Song Thrush-Mindaugas Urbonas-2c.jpg Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Song_Thrush-Mindaugas_Urbonas-2c.jpg License: Creative Commons

Attribution-Sharealike 2.5 Contributors: GiW, Snowmanradio

File:Turdus philomelos -New Zealand -juvenile-8.jpg Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Turdus_philomelos_-New_Zealand_-juvenile-8.jpg License: Creative Commons

Attribution 2.0 Contributors: Sid Mosdell from New Zealand

File:2007.07.03 juvenile song thrush Dombaih, Russia 108 cc.jpg Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:2007.07.03_juvenile_song_thrush_Dombaih,_Russia_108_cc.jpg

License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: User:WBeckon

Image:Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg License: unknown Contributors: User:Eubulides

File:Turdus philomelos -Apenheul Primate Park, Netherlands -eggs-8.jpg Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Turdus_philomelos_-Apenheul_Primate_Park,_Netherlands_-eggs-8.jpgLicense: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Contributors: Arjan

Haverkamp

File:Song Thrush anvil close up.JPG Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Song_Thrush_anvil_close_up.JPG License: Public Domain Contributors: Rosser1954 Roger

Griffith

File:Song thrush.jpg Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Song_thrush.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Contributors: Tony Wills

File:old west bromwich albion crest.png Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Old_west_bromwich_albion_crest.png License: Public Domain Contributors: Calliopejen1,

Jameboy, Jimfbleak, Malpass93, Plkrtn

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