The main differences between the two birds are that song thrushes have a rounder appearance and have lighter breasts with markings that look like upside-down hearts or arrowheads. Mistles thrushes appear lighter and almost grey at first glance. The breast of a mistle thrush also has harsher markings that look like thorns.
Full Answer
What is the difference between song thrush and mistle thrush?
Song thrush is smaller, short tail, with 'arrows' on its breast. Mistle thrush is slightly larger, longer tail, with 'spots' on it's breast. The more i've studied them, the easier they've become.
What are the different types of thrush in the UK?
Our most familiar thrush must be that firm garden favourite, the blackbird, and it’s actually the only UK thrush that isn’t red listed . The two you’re most likely to mix up, however, are of the more speckled variety: the song thrush and the mistle thrush. As their name suggests, song thrushes have a very distinctive song.
What does a thrush bird sound like?
The flight is very strongly undulated and the under wing and outer tail feathers are white. The Mistle thrush has a very pleasant song which is not dissimilar to that of a blackbird, although less fluting. The alarm note is a loud, harsh rattling call.
Are mistle thrush and fieldfare the same?
Fieldfare are larger, mistle-thrush sized birds, and are superficially similar to mistle thrush in their general shape and attitude — but again there are distinctive features that make them readily identifiable in most situations.
Is a song thrush the same as a thrush?
The song thrush and mistle thrush are two different species in the thrush family that are often confused by birdwatchers. This is because they both share similarities in their habits and appearance.
What does a song thrush look like?
The song thrush is a familiar bird, brown above, with a white belly covered in black, drop-shaped spots. It is smaller and a warmer brown than the mistle thrush, and lacks the white eyestripe and red flank patches of the redwing.
Which is bigger mistle thrush or song thrush?
The mistle thrush can be confused with the common song thrush, but is in fact slightly larger. It has a slightly greyer plumage and pale spots on its belly – as opposed to the characteristic streaks of the song thrush.
Are song thrushes mimics?
A song thrush's repertoire can consist of 100 of more distinct phrases, including some apparent mimicry of other birds and various sounds such as car alarms. Some elements of the song also seem consistent between generations suggesting that they are potentially passed down from adults to young.
What does a female song thrush look like?
The song thrush is smaller than a blackbird and is distinguished from the female blackbird by its pale cream underparts speckled with fawn-brown chevrons. The head, back and upper wings and tail are smooth grey-brown with indistinct streaking on the head. In flight the upper wing is mostly uniform brown.
How do I know if my bird has thrush?
Male Varied Thrushes are dark blue-gray on the back and rich burnt-orange below with a sooty-black breastband and orange line over the eye. The wings are blackish with two orange bars and orange edging to the flight feathers. Females have the same patterns, but are paler gray-brown than males.
What bird makes a noise like a football rattle?
Mistle thrushesMistle thrush: mystical storm bird Their call is a very distinctive loud rattle, like a football rattle. Mistle thrushes get their name from the mystical mistletoe, the berries of which are one of their favourite foods.
How rare is a mistle thrush?
Status. The mistle thrush has an extensive distribution in Europe and western Asia, and its European breeding population is estimated at 9–22.2 million birds. When Asian breeders are added, this gives a global total of 12.2–44.4 million.
Which thrush eats snails?
song thrushesWhat do song thrushes eat? The song thrush eats worms, snails, caterpillars and fruit. Snails are a particular favourite. Song thrushes are renowned for the practice of smashing the snail shells against rocks with a flick of the head, allowing them to get to the soft parts inside.
Where do song thrush go in winter?
Song thrushes are sensitive to hard winter weather. Winter territories are abandoned during periods of severe weather, when many birds move southwards, even as far as north-west France and northern Spain. Considerable numbers of Dutch birds spend the winter in the UK.
Do thrushes and blackbirds mate?
Interbreeding with a thrush, whilst possible, is most unlikely. What you're describing Derek, is just what I'm used to seeing in the crop of youngsters that visit my garden here. They start of looking very brown, like a female, but speckly. Then their primary feathers and tail go black, followed by the back.
What is the lifespan of a thrush?
American robin: 2 yearsThrush / LifespanThe American robin is a migratory songbird of the true thrush genus and Turdidae, the wider thrush family. It is named after the European robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related, with the European robin belonging to the Old World flycatcher family. Wikipedia
What is thrush caused from?
Thrush is caused by the overgrowth of a type of fungus called Candida. Mouth and throat thrush is called oropharyngeal candidiasis. A thrush infection is annoying but it's generally a minor problem for healthy people and will clear up in a few weeks with antifungal treatment.
What do song thrush eggs look like?
Song thrush eggs are smooth and glossy,31 x 22mm large. They are very pale blue eggs with a few large dark speckles, mostly at the wider end. The nests are usually constructed out of mud, with no grass lining.
Where do you find song thrush?
Song thrushes live in woodland, farmland, scrub, parks and gardens across the UK. They favour anywhere with a good supply of trees and bushes to nest in.
What do you feed a song with thrush?
The Song Thrush's diet is largely earthworms and snails, with the latter broken open by the bird smashing the shell against a hard object such a stone. Other food incudes insects and spiders, plus fruit and berries in the colder months.
What is the song of a mistle thrush?
The Mistle thrush has a very pleasant song which is not dissimilar to that of a blackbird, although less fluting. The alarm note is a loud, harsh rattling call. The song thrush is a smaller, neater bird. The adult is olive or sandy-brown above and the neatly spotted pale underside is tinged yellowish-buff around the breast.
What is the largest thrush in the UK?
The mistle thrush is the largest UK resident thrush. It is pale brown in general colour with grey edges to the wing feathers and some whiter feathering around the face which give it an overall pale appearance. The breast is boldly spotted and it has a relatively long tail. On the ground the bird adopts a very upright posture.
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Both Thrush Look Similar, But There Are Differences
Let’s start with the way these birds look. It is easy to confuse the two because they are similar in size and shape with similar plumage. The legs and bills are pretty much the same because of their family. However, the Mistle Thrush is the larger of the two.
The Mistle Thrush And Song Thrush Have Different Personality Traits
The two birds have very different personalities when it comes to their behaviour. This means that if you get the chance to see one for more than a few seconds, you can get a better idea of which they are. The Song Thrush is quite a timid bird much further down the pecking order in your garden than other species.
The Two Thrushes Prefer Different Food Too
The two species are after somewhat similar food to a degree, including different forms of insects, molluscs, and fruit. However, they have different favourites and specialities. This means they aren’t always in direct competition for food and can coexist pretty well as long as there is enough for everyone.
The Song Of The Mistle Thrush And Song Thrush
As the Mistle Thrush is named after the mistletoe it eats, it makes sense to expect the Song Thrush to be named after its voice. The song of the Song Thrush is striking and you may not realise you can hear it in the morning.
Where Do The Mistle Thrush And Song Thrush Nest?
Another similarity between the two birds is that both species have similar nesting habits. This isn’t very helpful when identifying birds, but it is nice to know if you may have had a family nesting at some point. The birds create cup-shaped nests near the trunk of a tree. This should provide stability and cover needed to keep the chicks safe.
Have You Seen A Different Species Instead?
Another thing that you need to be aware of when looking out for different thrush species is that there are other similar birds. The thrush is part of the Turdus genus and there are other species from this genus in the UK. This includes the Blackbird, Redwing, Fieldfare, and Ringed Ousel.
Song Thrush, Blackbird, Or Redwing?
You might see a more common juvenile blackbird – brown and rather speckly – and think you have just seen a less common thrush. However, there is also the risk of seeing something a lot rarer and failing to mark it down correctly because you assumed it was a thrush.
What do song thrushes look for?
In the spring and summer, song thrushes can often be seen on the ground looking for worms and beetles. They’re famous for their habit of bashing snails on an ‘anvil’ to crack the shells, so if you find fragments of snail shells gathered near a large stone in your garden, it probably means there’s a song thrush around.
What is the song of the Mistle Thrush?
The song of the mistle thrush is somewhere between a song thrush and a blackbird, with repeated phrases worked into more of an ongoing melody that stops and starts. It’s more melancholy and slurred than a blackbird, almost drunk-sounding, and louder, and they have a habit of singing in all-weathers, which is where their old name of ‘stormcock’ comes from. Their call is a very distinctive loud rattle, like a football rattle.
How do mistle thrushes get their name?
Mistle thrushes get their name from the mystical mistletoe, the berries of which are one of their favourite foods. They tend to be more common in areas with mistletoe, but they’ll also happily eat holly and rowan berries. They’re aggressive and are often very noticeable when they’re defending a good source of food, flying at other birds and giving their loud rattling call. At other times, they can be quite secretive and hard to see. Like song thrushes, they spend a lot of the spring and summer on the ground looking for invertebrates, and with their typical thrush hops, upright stance and other movements, this is when they’re probably hardest to tell apart, particularly from behind.
What are the two most common thrushes?
The two you’re most likely to mix up, however, are of the more speckled variety: the song thrush and the mistle thrush.
How many species of thrush are there in the UK?
There are dozens of species of thrush found all over the world, and six that can be seen in the UK. Our most familiar thrush must be that firm garden favourite, the blackbird, and it’s actually the only UK thrush that isn’t red listed . The two you’re most likely to mix up, however, are of the more speckled variety: the song thrush and ...
What is the rarest thrushe?
Ring ouzel. Just to complete the family, ring ouzels are the rarest thrushes found in the UK. You’d be super-lucky to see one as they’re only found in limited locations and in small numbers. They’re similar to blackbirds, but with a distinctive white mark on their throats.
When do mistle thrushes make their nests?
Nesting. Mistle thrushes start nesting even earlier than song thrushes, sometimes in February! They build a cup-shaped nest, often in the fork of a tree, and both parents will look after the chicks. They sometimes have a second brood later in the year, and will aggressively defend their nests from predators.
What is a mistle thrush?
Mistle thrush is slightly larger, longer tail, with 'spots' on it's breast.
Does mistle thrush have a larger body?
One that got missed is that although Mistle Thrush has a larger body it has the same size head which makes it appear small-headed.
Know your Winter Thrushes: Fieldfare and Redwing ID from the BTO
Every winter our resident blackbirds, song thrushes and mistle thrushes are joined by an influx of visiting northern European thrushes: fieldfare and redwing.
About Calvin Jones
Calvin Jones is a freelance writer, author, birder and lifelong wildlife enthusiast. He is founder and editor of IrelandsWildlife.com and founder and wildlife guide of Ireland's Wildlife Tours offering wildlife and birding holidays on Ireland's south coast.
Where is the thrush singing at dawn?
A thrush singing joyfully at dawn at the Waiwhakaio river mouth in New Plymouth. Framing & Mounting: This image can be purchased printed on either stretched canvas or on aluminium using the Chromaluxe dye sublimation process. We recommend aluminium...
What is a thrush hopping around on the lawn looking for?
A thrush hopping around on the lawn looking for worms.Framing & Mounting: This image can be purchased printed on either stretched canvas or on aluminium using the Chromaluxe dye sublimation process. We recommend aluminium prints due to their high...