Thrushes

Thrushes, comprising the family Turdidae, are small to medium-sized, ground-dwelling birds found across the globe. They were historically a larger group before taxonomic revisions placed chats and European robins with Old World flycatchers. Thrushes have soft, often speckled plumage in shades of grey and brown and vary in size, with the petite shortwings at 12 cm and the great thrush as the largest, potentially surpassed by the Amami thrush. Their diet is primarily insects, worms, land snails, and fruit like berries. Many thrush species reside permanently in warmer areas while others migrate long distances for summer breeding. They construct cup-shaped nests, usually on branches (except bluebirds, which prefer holes), and may produce multiple clutches of speckled eggs per year, with both parents caring for the offspring. Thrushes play a crucial role in ecosystem recovery by dispersing plant seeds—some species even carry seeds over ocean barriers, enhancing the genetic diversity of flora. The family's taxonomy has evolved, with several genera reclassified to Muscicapidae and the genus Cochoa moved to Turdidae, resulting in a total of 175 thrush species in 17 genera. Historically part of European culinary traditions, thrushes were prepared in various local dishes but are now rarely consumed.