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Black-throated Thrush
Turdus atrogularis
Identify the Black-throated Thrush by sound or photo and log your sightings with Birdpass.
The Black-throated Thrush is a migratory thrush of the eastern Palearctic, breeding from the Urals through western Siberia to north-west Mongolia and wintering from the Middle East to Myanmar. Males have a black throat and breast, grey upperparts and whitish underparts; females and young are more subtly streaked. It was long lumped with the Red-throated Thrush, with which it hybridises. It is a rare vagrant to Europe.
Did you know?
- Its name means “black-throated thrush” in Latin.
- In winter it often joins large mixed flocks of thrushes.
About the species
Identification
A grey-brown thrush slightly larger than Redwing. The clearest mark of the breeding male is its black throat and breast; it resembles the Red-throated Thrush, whose male has a rufous throat and breast. The underwing coverts are orange-rufous. Females and young, with fine dark streaks on a pale throat and breast, are harder to identify, and hybrids complicate things further.
Family
Turdidae
Size
Medium (thrush)
Colours
grey, brown, black, white, yellow
About the habitat
Edges and clearings of coniferous and mixed forest, often along rivers and in swampy areas; in winter open country with trees, orchards and gardens.
Diet
Insects, earthworms and other invertebrates taken on the ground, and berries, fruit and some seeds in autumn and winter.
Behaviour
Forages mostly on the ground by hopping and turning leaves, and perches in trees and bushes. It breeds singly or in loose groups, building a low nest of grass and twigs bound with earth. In winter it roosts in dense cover and often joins large mixed thrush flocks.
Sources
Photo: Hans Norelius from Älvsjö, Sweden, CC BY 2.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Svarthalsad trast, Växjö, Februari 2017 (33349504344).jpg
Text: Wikipedia (English) + FinBIF species descriptions, CC BY-SA 4.0; FinBIF: CC BY 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-throated_thrush
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