From Opus

Photo by Ron
Location: Texel, The Netherlands

Turdus torquatus

[edit] Identification

Dark yellow-brown bill
Dark brown legs
Summer Male Blackish-brown with a white gorget. Thin white margins on flight feathers, giving a 'pale' appearance
Female and winter male are browner with greyish flecks and duller gorget
Juvenile grey-brown with speckled breast

Alpine/Pyrenees males have broad white scaling on the underparts.

[edit] Similar Species

Beware leucistic Eurasian Blackbird, however, these lack the pale wing panel.
Juveniles of both species are very similar.

[edit] Distribution

Europe. Breeds in northern England and Scotland. Has bred Denmark, and the Faroes.
Vagrant to Iceland.

[edit] Taxonomy

There are 3 subspecies.

[edit] Habitat

Breeds in most remote, mountainous rocky outcrops usually above 300m.

[edit] Behaviour

May be found in small loose flocks on migration.

[edit] Diet

Its diet includes insects, earthworms and berries.

[edit] Breeding

It builds a cup-shaped nest in bushes or amongst rocks, laying several pale blue eggs, mottled with brown.

[edit] Flight

Rapid and direct. Hops or runs.

[edit] Vocalisation

Call: a hard "tuk"
Song: "tcheru", "tchvi", and "ti-cho-o" repeated several times.

[edit] References

1. Wikipedia
2. Birdwatchers Pocket Guide ISBN 1-85732-804-3
3. Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
4. Collins Field Guide 5th Edition

[edit] External Links