Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Song Thrush

Song Thrush

Turdus philomelos

The Song Thrush, Turdus philomelos, is a charming bird with a sturdy build. It measures between 20 to 23.5 centimeters in length and tips the scales at a modest 50 to 107 grams. Both sexes share a similar appearance, donning plain brown backs and black-spotted cream or yellow-buff underparts, which grow paler on the belly. The underwing exudes a warm yellow, complementing the yellowish bill and pink legs and feet.

Identification Tips

To identify the Song Thrush, look for its brown upper-parts and spotted underparts. The juvenile mirrors the adult but is distinguished by buff or orange streaks on the back and wing coverts. In flight, the red underwing is not visible, unlike in the similar Redwing. The Mistle Thrush is significantly larger and has white tail corners, setting it apart from the Song Thrush.

Habitat

The Song Thrush thrives in forests with rich undergrowth, gardens, parks, and, in the case of the Hebridean subspecies, even open heathland. It is also a common sight in areas with trees and bushes, such as parks and gardens, and can be found up to the tree-line in mountainous regions.

Distribution

This species has a breeding range that spans across the West Palearctic and extends to Lake Baikal in Russia. It is partially migratory, with many wintering in southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. The Song Thrush has also been introduced to New Zealand and Australia.

Behaviour

The Song Thrush is a solitary bird, though it may roost with others during winter. It is monogamous and territorial, with migratory individuals re-establishing territories upon return. The bird migrates at night in loose flocks, maintaining contact with frequent calls.

Song & Calls

The male's song is a series of loud, clear musical phrases, each repeated several times and interspersed with grating notes and mimicry. Calls include a short, sharp "tsip" and an alarm call of "chook-chook." The song is one of the loudest for the bird's size and can include a repertoire of over 100 phrases.

Breeding

The Song Thrush constructs a neat mud-lined cup nest in a bush or tree, laying four to five dark-spotted blue eggs. The female incubates the eggs and cares for the young, which fledge after about 10 to 17 days. Two or three broods per year are common.

Similar Species

The Redwing (Turdus iliacus) and the Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) are similar species, but the Redwing has a white supercilium and red flanks, while the Mistle Thrush is larger with white tail corners.

Diet and Feeding

An omnivore, the Song Thrush feeds on invertebrates, particularly earthworms and snails, as well as soft fruit and berries. It is known for using a stone "anvil" to break open snail shells.

Conservation Status

Globally, the Song Thrush is not considered threatened, holding a status of "Least Concern." However, there have been notable declines in European populations, possibly due to changes in farming practices affecting food availability and nesting sites.

Song Thrush Sounds



Recorded by: © 
App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Song Thrushes on Birda

Photos
Sightings

Similar species

A photo of a Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)

Mistle Thrush

Turdus viscivorus

More Thrushes

Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Chudbond
Love Birda
I love this app. It really encourages you to log your sightings and the community is friendly and helpful.
David C
Very knowledgeable group
Nice friendly birding community. Very knowledgeable group with a willingness to help.
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
Mike T
Sense of Community
A great app, which is continually being improved. What really comes through is the passion of those behind the app. The sense of community is brilliant, so much help and support provided to new and/or in experienced birders.
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
Marlster24
Recommend for any bird watcher
Very wholesome app: I joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😃
Leonie
We've been waiting for an App like this
Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!
Patricia L
Very encouraging birding app
Easy to use, fun to see progress and encouraging to receive feedback from other users.
Carrie
Makes you want to spot birds more
I think this app is fun. It makes you want to spot birds more so I guess in a way it encourages you to get out and about instead of sitting in front of the TV.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.