| Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos (Brehm, 1831)) |
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Scientific name: Turdus philomelos (Brehm, 1831) Common name: Song Thrush French name: Grive musicienne Order: Passeriformes Family: Turdidae Size: Body size : 23 cm; Wingspan : 33 to 36 cm; Weight : 65 to 90 g Habitat: Forests, parks, gardens with trees, hedgerows, with a preference for bushy locations. Food: The Song Thrush mainly feeds on earthworms, slugs and snails picked on the ground. It breaks snail's shell using a stone as an anvil. It also feeds on fruits, just letting the stony seed hanging down. Nesting: Song Thrushes build cup-shaped nests, located low inside dense vegetation. There are 2 or 3 broods of 4 or 5 eggs between March and July. Migration: Sedentary, northern birds move southwards in winter. Geographic area: Temperate Europe, temperate Asia, east to West Siberia. |
The Song Thrush is a slightly smaller bird than the Blackbird. The head and the upper side are rather dark brown uniform colour. The underside is whitish, a little yellowish on the chest. The chest and the sides of the body are regularly mottled with dark brown spots. The underside of the wings, you can see in flight, is light orange. This enables to differentiate the Song Thrush from other Thrushes. Song Thrushes are used to perching on the top of high trees, where they emit their characteristic and loud song, especially in late winter or early spring. The song is made of several series of 3 to 5 notes. |
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I had some difficulties to find an open angle of view through the bushes where this Song Thrush was hidden. |
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The well ordered V-shaped spots on the under side of the body enable to tell the Song Thrush apart from the Mistle Thrush. |
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It is difficult to shoot a close up picture at the height of the eyes when the Song Thrush is perched on the top of high tree … |
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I observed this Song Thrush during a walk in Hâble d'Ault, not far from the Baie de Somme. |
André Bon November 2022