Home PageBirds of Devon and Cornwall Song Thrushes  

Latin name - Turdus philomelos

A once familiar sight, Song thrush numbers have declined rapidly in the United Kingdom and it is on the RSPB's red list. It can be seen anywhere where there are trees and bushes including gardens and parks as well as its more traditional haunts of woodland, both deciduous and coniferous, and farm hedgerows. Both sexes are the same with brown upper-parts, pale under-parts covered in dark speckles. They have pink legs and orange colouration underneath the wing which can be seen when they are in flight. The young have buff coloured streaks on their backs. They eat worms, insects, berries, and snails and will take kitchen scraps if left out for them. They crack open snails by hitting them repeatedly against a stone or other hard object, a feeding behaviour which has become famous.

Song Thrush, Cotehele Gardens Song Thrush, Cotehele Gardens Song Thrush Song Thrush Song Thrush Song Thrush