Song thrush

    Turdus philomelos

Castilian: Zorzal común

Catalan: Tord comú

Gallego: Tordo común

Euskera: Birigarro arrunta

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Turdidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

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

In the past it was subject to heavy pressure from hunters, given that it is very valued for human consumption, but it currently less frequently hunted. The most affected birds are those that come to winter in our region, which coincides with hunting season.

Length / size: 20-22 cm / 33-36 cm

Identification: Medium-sized thrush whose back is brown and whose underparts are lighter in colour; its belly is white and its breast ochre-coloured; the latter looks speckled with wedge-shaped dots. In flight the rust colour of its axilar area, a characteristic that allows it to be distinguished from other thrushes, is visible.

Song: It is a repetitive succession of two different warbling and fluty notes. Its call is a fine and penetrating "zeet".

Diet: It feeds on a wide variety of invertebrates, but it prefers snails, whose shell it breaks against rocks or branches; in autumn and winter it consumes mostly fruits, berries and seeds.

Reproduction: It usually begins in April, although it can start earlier, in late February or early March. The female prepares a cup-shaped nest that is compact and made with twigs, roots and grass, which it positions in the bark ridge of a tree or bush, on rocky ledges, and sometimes on the ground. The female is responsible for incubation but both parents feed the chicks.

HABITAT

When breeding it prefers thick forest areas, either coniferous or deciduous, with developed undergrowth. It can be found from sea level up to an altitude of 1,500 metres. In winter it is less demanding, appearing in more open forest areas, farmland, and even in city parks and gardens.les más abiertas, campos de cultivo e, incluso, parques y jardines urbanos.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: In winter the population extends throughout the entire peninsula, but during breeding season it is only found in a homogeneous distribution in the northern third of the peninsula, scattered in the principal mountain ranges in the centre of the peninsula, and in the south it is rare.

In Castile and León: It breeds in all the provinces, although it is rarer in Valladolid, Zamora and Ávila.

Movements and migrations: Eastern and northern European populations are complete or partial migrants, and those from central Europe are sedentary or partial migrants. Wintering individuals come to the peninsula from a multitude of European countries, of which a large part cross the Mediterranean to reach northern Africa. However, the Iberian breeding populations are sedentary, although they can make small movements when environmental conditions are unfavourable.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 200000-400000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: