THRUSHES

FAMILY: THRUSHES

Song thrush

(Turdus philomelos)

The song thrush is the smallest, in the size of the body, thrush of all thrushes inhabiting our region. It is greenish-brown from above, its bottom is light with black-brown stains.
Right after arrival to places of nesting in spring, males whistle their sonorous melodies on tops of trees, especially in morning and evening dawns. Their songs are very musical, subtle, and the richest of melodies. They are an essential ornament to the spring forest!

The female builds a builds a nest basically from fur-tree’s little branches and lichens, and covers it from inside with wood dust chewed and fastened with saliva. So the walls of the nest are plane and almost smooth.

The food of song thrushes is quite various: insects, berries, seeds, worms, snails.

Redwing

(Turdus iliacus)

It differs from the song thrush, first of all, by reddish sides and light strips above the eyes.

The spring song of males is whistle trills followed by quiet twitter. Also, like all our thrushes, except of the blackbird, redwings express their emotions and exchange information among themselves with the help of a "crack": from loud and angry sounds when they have to defend the nest — up to satisfied and blissful "crackling" in clear autumn days.

Fieldfare

(Turdus pilaris)

This thrush is larger than the song thrush and redwing. It has a black-brown back and grey head.

Its spring song is twitter in flight. And it, too, “cracks” — more loudly than other thrushes.

When berries of the wild ash ripen, fieldfares regale on them, probably, with the greatest — in comparison with other thrushes — relish.

Blackbird

(Turdus merula)

The blackbird is also rather large. Its distinguishing feature, as compared to other thrushes, is completely black color; only the beak is orange-yellow. Young birds, however, are black-brown.

The melody of the blackbird’s song is not varied much, but it is very rich of fine timbre.

Blackbirds build nests of small branches, straws, leaves, with much earth.

Blackbirds like very much to eat earthworms. But when berries ripen, they willingly eat berries as well.

Robin (Redbreast, European Robin)

(Erithacus rubecula)

The robin redbreast is a very nice small birdie with large eyes, orange breast and neck.

Males start singing in spring morning among the firsts — after, perhaps, wood grouses. Their song is ringing and musing — as if thawed water in a streamlet talks with little ice-floes. In comparison with other birds, the voice of the robin redbreast seems especially pure, high, subtle.

Robin redbreasts build nests of blades and leaves. Places for construction of nests are quite various: on the ground, in a crack of an old stub, in a heap of brushwood, in a hollow.