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Mistle Thrush or Song Thrush? Seen on Walthamstow Marshes, London, UK (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter snoopx
- Start date
Thanks Butty. Can I ask, what features do you use to distinguish the 2? Some websites offer conflicting information eg some claim the Song Thrush is plumper, while others claim the Mistle is! Various other sites say the breast speckles on the Song Thrush resemble upside down hearts or arrows but looking at Google photos of Mistle thrushes, they have some as well, although maybe not so many as the Song Thrush.
My guess was it was a Mistle thrush too, but I wasn't sure. This one seemed to be as interested in me as I was in it. It advanced up quite close to me, maybe about 10ft, watching me all the time. Got some footage of it too with a worm wriggling in its mouth!
My guess was it was a Mistle thrush too, but I wasn't sure. This one seemed to be as interested in me as I was in it. It advanced up quite close to me, maybe about 10ft, watching me all the time. Got some footage of it too with a worm wriggling in its mouth!
Stonefaction
Dundee Birding....(target 150 in 2024).
Mistle Thrush tends to look greyer, Song Thrush is quite a warm brown. I think the spotting on Song Thrush (head-on) looks relatively symmetrical, whereas on Mistle Thrush there doesn't appear to much symmetry going on (as with your bird). The spots on Mistle are also more likely to be rounded, though as you say, not all.
www.bto.org
Identifying Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush
Song and Mistle Thrush are two garden species that are readily confused; both are grey brown in appearance; both have a spotted breast and pale legs. However, with good views and the right pointers both can be identified with confidence.
I try to use the distribution of the dots as a pointer (fairly uniform: Song Thrush; sparser or more clustered in different places: Mistle Thrush). Also, Mistle Thrushes have spotting between the legs, while Song Thrushes have an unmarked area over there. I've never been a fan of the shape criterion, but on Mistle Thrush the only arrow-shaped spots are on the throat and upper breast--the rest of them are more circular (all of them are arrow-shaped on Song Thrush). The 'pot-bellied jizz' feature seems to go against what I would call 'pot-bellied' as well.
Larry Sweetland
Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'
Prominent pale fringes to flight feathers and wing coverts on Mistle Thrush, plainer wings on Song Thrush
In my experience, song thrushes and mistle thrushes are really inquisitive and can be quite funny - I opened the door into my garden, and saw a song thrush. It stared me down for ten seconds- I was afraid to move and scare it away 
It then ignored me, found a snail, and began smashing it open. It turned around in the middle a couple of times, as if to ask 'Seriously? You're still here?'
Birds have such quirky personalities sometimes
It then ignored me, found a snail, and began smashing it open. It turned around in the middle a couple of times, as if to ask 'Seriously? You're still here?'Birds have such quirky personalities sometimes
Alexander Stöhr
Well-known member
Hello,
Yes I agree with you and Maplekong, both are Song thrushes
Yes I agree with you and Maplekong, both are Song thrushes
Why is the first one definitely a Song Thrush?
That's the more tricky one. Face pattern is slightly better for song thrush but most importantly we can see strongly buffy patches at the side of the breast/belly. The real difficulty is just that this individual has a cold grey face recalling mistle thrush
In the second, the song gives it away without even looking (song thrush always repeats phrases. Sometimes other species will do this for a phrase or 2 but never every phrase, every time.)
A song thrush is has currently set up residence in my neighborhood, being loud, conspicuous and annoying at five in the morning and ten at night. It then goes silent or other bird pops up or someone is having their kitchen redone when I try and get a good recording of the song. Once learnt it is unmistakable- high, clear and usually traveling farther than other birdsong. Our bird has a very charismatic repertoire, including: did-yu, did-yu, did-yu, tre-le-loop, tre-le-loop, chee chee chee, with various twitterings between each phrase. Listen to some clips on Youtube, while it is highly variable it has that certain 'sound', just like a band or particular composer eg Mozart. It is still regularly visiting my garden for snails, of which we have an overabundance.
Are we both referring to the bird in this video? If so, I can't see any buffy patches on my monitor. I'm not saying it's not a Song Thrush, just that with the pattern of spots it has on a clean white breast it looks more like a Mistle Thrush to me.
KenM
Well-known member
KenM
Well-known member
FWIW, this individual is NOT a Mistle Thrush despite it’s cosmetics, but a Song Thrush of an unknown presumed Eastern race, behaving very much like the latter darting beneath the hedge when disturbed, then furtively hopping out when the coast was clear (a public footfall site).
Went to Tring (Herts) with a colleague to look at skins of Song Thrush where we found an example (head pattern) very similar, that was procured in Verkhoyansk (USSR) during the early 20th century.
Cheers
Went to Tring (Herts) with a colleague to look at skins of Song Thrush where we found an example (head pattern) very similar, that was procured in Verkhoyansk (USSR) during the early 20th century.
Cheers
The word 'cosmetics' remains odd and unexplained, but, if this is here as a request for ID assessment, you would need first to provide originals of stills/video. The ones posted have contrast/saturation pumped up to the max - and beyond any reality or usefulness, I'm afraid. No offence.
Structurally, the bird suggests song thrush.
