Thrushes · Perching birds
Black-throated Thrush
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Turdus atrogularis
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How to recognize it
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24–27 cm, a bit smaller and slimmer than a fieldfare
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Blackish-brown patch from chin to breast
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Grey-brown upperparts, pale underparts; orange-red underwing coverts show in flight
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Song with a loud whistled "tsirl", "tsil-tsil"
About the species
The black-throated thrush is a ground-feeding thrush that keeps to forest edges, older mixed woods, and damp places with thick undergrowth. In flight, the male shows a rusty flash under the wing, while the throat and breast carry the dark patch that gives the species its name.
Its song is a slow, changeable string of whistles and short trills, often with a slurring note that sounds like "cirl" or "cyl." Males sing most actively at dawn, and farther north they sing more at night. When disturbed, it gives sharp, repeated calls.
It breeds across Siberia and nearby mountain forest, and winters in parts of Central, Southern, and East Asia. On the ground it takes worms, other invertebrates, and berries, and later in the year it also eats seeds and cherries.
Where to find
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In mature city parks with tall conifers and mixed trees, its whistling call often comes from deep in the canopy at dawn.
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Along overgrown canal banks and pond edges with damp undergrowth, it feeds on the ground—turning leaves for worms and other invertebrates.
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In autumn, look on rowans, hawthorns, and other berry shrubs along paths, hopping from bush to bush in short bursts.
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At the edges of large green blocks with quiet, dense tree cover, it may pause on low branches before dropping back to the ground.
