Ring ouzel

    Turdus torquatus

Castilian: Mirlo capiblanco

Catalan: Merla de pit blanc

Gallego: Merlo papobranco

Euskera: Zozo paparzuria

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Turdidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

Although it is not threatened because it lives in mountainous areas, it has been affected by the increase of ski stations, fires, overgrazing and reforestation. Illegal hunting in wintering or migratory season is also a problem.

Length / size: 23-24 cm / 38-42 cm

Identification: Medium-sized bird with an orange bill and dark plumage that is black in males and brown in females. In both sexes, the white, half moon-shaped spot on the breast and a pale spot on the wings are characteristic. They also have a pale outline on their belly feathers and flank feathers.

Song: Its song consists of a repetition of short and melancholic phrases that decrease in intensity. Its call is a rough and dry "chook-chook".

Diet: Its diet varies depending on the time of year: in summer it feeds on adult insects and their larvae, earthworms and other invertebrates, and in winter it feeds on the fruits of junipers, savins, hawthorns, etc.

Reproduction: It begins in April, and the species is territorial and monogamous. The female builds the nest on the ground, in the low branches of a tree or bush, or on a ledge in a rocky chasm, and it is a cup of twigs, moss and mud. The female is responsible for incubation but both parents feed the chicks.

HABITAT

When breeding it is normally found above an altitude of 1,700 metres, in thin pine forests with abundant scrubland that contains heathers, junipers and bearberries; in winter it descends to mid-mountain areas and coastal enclaves, such as savin or pine groves.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: When breeding, its distribution is limited to the northern part of the peninsula, with denser concentrations in the Pyrenees and, to a lesser extent, in the Cantabrian Mountains, the Montes Vascos, and the Iberian System. When wintering, it is found in the northeast Iberian quadrant and, sporadically, in the coasts of Levante, some mountain ranges in Murcia and eastern Andalusia, and the Balearic Islands.

In Castile and León: When wintering, it is found on the northern slopes of the Cantabrian Mountains, and the mountain ranges of Gredos (Ávila), Moncayo (Soria) and Guadarrama (Segovia), and Cuenca del Alagón (Salamanca), among other places. There are two known breeding concentrations in Picos de Europa (León) and Sierra Cebollera (Soria).

Movements and migrations: The European populations are migratory, with wintering areas in southern Europe and northern Africa. The migrations made by Iberian populations are unknown, but it is thought that they go to lower altitudes. The prenuptial passage takes place in March/April and the postnuptial between September and November.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 6000-7000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: