Garden Birds of springtime heaven
The true thrushes are a very species-rich group of birds and also one of the world's most common and
widespread. Alongside the obvious thrushes are the blackbirds, fieldfare,
redwing and some robins. Members, including at least one common garden species,
are to be found on every continent except Antarctica. Notably, North America
has the American robin and Europe has the blackbird. From the 60 or so species
of true thrush, there is a selection for you to explore below, including that
champion songster the blackbird. Follow the image link to hear its unmistakeable
song.
The true thrushes are medium-sized
mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus Turdus of the thrush
family Turdidae.
The genus has a cosmopolitan
distribution, with species in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.
Several species have also colonised some oceanic islands, and two species have
been introduced to New Zealand. Some New World species are called robins, the
most famous of which is the American Robin. Several species are
migratory.
While some species are often split
out of Turdus, the two small thrushes formerly separated in Platycichla by many
authors are usually placed in the present genus again in recent years.
Song thrush
Ringing out loud and clear across the
neighbourhood, the song thrush performs the most beautiful song. It's also a song that becomes richer and more complex as the bird
grows older.
Song thrushes call upon a repertoire of
over one hundred phrases; usually delivered from an elevated stage, such as a
chimney pot or tree top. They're also pretty good mimics of
sounds gathered from the world around them.
This most musical bird song has inspired many a poet,
from Robert Browning and Thomas Hardy to William Wordsworth.
Did you know?
The Song thrush can be found in
a number of locations including: Africa, Asia,China, Europe, Mediterranean, Russia, United Kingdom, Wales, Ynys-hir nature reserve. Find out more about these
places and what else lives there.
Habitats
The following habitats are found across the Song thrush distribution range. Find out
more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else
inhabits them.
The Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
The Song Thrush 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. 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 smash 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.
The Blackbird
Blackbirds are ground feeders
pulling worms and pecking at insects and berries at the bottom of hedgerows.
The males are all black and the females all brown except for the yellow-orange
eye ring and beak. Breeding males establish their territories early in the year with
rich warbling songs, and a pair may hold their territory throughout
the year if the climate is favourable.
Blackbirds are one of the commonest birds in Britain
and there are thought to be over four million breeding pairs, although their
numbers have suffered in the last 25 years. Albino blackbirds are not uncommon
and many have white patches of feathers. Completely white individuals seldom
survive, as they are more conspicuous to predators.
Nestcam close-ups, expert
identification guides and specialist wildlife cameras give a privileged view of
a very British obsession: garden birds. Whether it's to attract the
red-breasted robin, the little Jenny wrenor the sensational singing blackbird, we spend over £150 million each year on bird seed
and garden gadgets to entice birds into our back gardens and outdoor spaces, so
we can share in the dramas of their fleeting lives. From the difference between
garden, willow and wood warblers to an intimate view of the promiscuous dunnock, this video collection represents garden bird highlights from the
BBC's wildlife archive.
The Common Blackbird
The Common Blackbird (Turdus merula) is a species of true thrush. It is also called Eurasian Blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), or simply Blackbird, where this does not lead to confusion with a similar-looking local species. It breeds in Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand. It has a number of subspecies across its large range; a few of the Asian subspecies are sometimes considered to be full species. Depending on latitude, the Common Blackbird may be resident, partially migratory or fully migratory.
The male of the nominate subspecies, which is found throughout most of Europe, is all black except for a yellow eye-ring and bill and has a rich melodious song; the adult female and juvenile have mainly dark brown plumage. This species breeds in woods and gardens, building a neat, mud-lined, cup-shaped nest. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworms, berries, and fruits.
Both sexes are territorial on the breeding grounds, with distinctive threat displays, but are more gregarious during migration and in wintering areas. Pairs will stay in their territory throughout the year where the climate is sufficiently temperate. This common and conspicuous species has given rise to a number of literary and cultural references, frequently related to its song.
The Bearded tit
The Bearded tits are particularly vulnerable to long cold
winters, when populations can be reduced to mere handfuls. Thankfully
populations recover successfully after milder ones. The arrival of spring also
brings its own problems as flooding can wash away their nests. Their common
name is quite misleading as they do not have beards, though the males do sport
markings that look rather like a moustache. They are also no longer assigned to
the tit family! Bearded tits are wetland specialists, that breed in the reed
beds and swamps of Europe and Asia. There are around 500 pairs in the UK found
in south and east England.
Blue tits are bright, inquisitive little
birds that have been shown to use aromatic leaves from lavender, mint and curry
plants to disinfect their nests. They are also infamous for following milkmen
to take sneaky sips from milk bottles by tearing through the foil tops.
Cosmopolitan foragers, blue tits are
found throughout Britain and as far east as Iran. Their colourful
plumage makes them a cheerful sight on garden feeders,
although during spring and summer they mostly feed on invertebrates. The
yellowness of a male blue tit's breast is an indication of the number of
yellowy-green caterpillars he has eaten, and a brighter breast is more attractive
to females.
The Chaffinch
Chaffinches are cheerful garden visitors
that have been known to live for a remarkable 14 years. Males are recognisable
for their pink cheeks and chest and blue-grey nape and crown; both sexes have
distinctive white flashes on their wings.
During winter European chaffinches migrate to
Britain. Curiously, it's typically the females that migrate as the males prefer
to remain in northern Europe. These remaining lone males give rise to their
Latin name "coelebs" meaning bachelor.
Chaffinches are one of the most common
birds in Britain, with almost six million breeding pairs. Their distinctive,
jangling songs vary
from bird to bird, and there are even regional dialects in different parts of
the UK.
The Chiffchaff
Chiffchaffs are extremely active
birds, constantly flicking their tails and wings while feeding. They favour
small insects, including caterpillars, gnats and midges, that are foraged from
high in the canopy. They also catch flies in mid-air and hover to pick insects
from under leaves. Chiffchaffs will only sing in trees more than 5m high. These
small dumpy warblers are summer visitors to the UK and are scarce in Scotland.
They are found across Eurasia and parts of Africa, favouring woodlands and
areas with a good degree of tree cover.
Crested tits are not as colourful as other tits, but
have their identifying crests and black and white striped faces. They are
characteristic birds of pinewoods and, as a pine plantation grows, so does its
crested tit population. Crested tits cache moth larvae during the autumn, to
help when food is scarce in the winter. In spring, they store pine seeds for
later consumption. The Scottish crested tits are geographically isolated from
those on mainland Europe and are now considered to be a sub-species.
Sparrowhawk
Sparrowhawks are so-named because 98% of their diet
consists of other birds. Although sparrowhawk numbers declined very badly as a
result of pesticide use, the British population has now recovered almost
everywhere and there may be as many sparrowhawks breeding as kestrels
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