Black-billed Nightingale-thrush (Catharus gracilirostris)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Catharus ("pure/clean") gracilirostris ("slender beak")

Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush (Catharus gracilirostris) at San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: Catharus gracilirostris gracilirostris
Weight: 21g  /  Length: 13.5-16cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A small eurasian robin like thrush endemic to the Talamancan Montane Forests of Costa Rica and Panama - it has a similar lifestyle to them at low levels, hopping along the ground or low shrubs looking for invertibrates and fruits. 
 
Related Species: 
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Catharus
SUBSPECIES: C. g. gracilirostris, C. g. accentor
 
- Sighting Locations - 

COSTA RICA - Spanish - Zorzalito Piquinegro

An endemic of the Talamancan Montane Forest Ecozone
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at San Gerardo de Dota 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Mountain Thrush (Turdus plebejus)

OTHER NAMES: American Mountain Thrush
Latin Etymology: Turdus ("thrush") plebejus ("plebian")

Mountain Thrush (Turdus plebejus) at San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: Turdus plebejus plebejus
Weight: 86g  /  Length: 23-26cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A similar in appearance species to the more widespread clay-coloured thrush, the mountain thrush is most distinctly differentiated by having a black beak instead of the yellow of its counterpart. As the name suggests they are residents of mountain ranges from 1800m up which has resulted in three isolated populations forming in the Talamancan Montains where I saw this, plus im the highlands of Honduras and Nicaragua and Mexico and Guatemala.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Turdus
SUBSPECIES: T. p. plebejus, T. p. differens, T. p. radaelensis
 
- Sighting Locations - 

COSTA RICA 

Widespread in Highlands
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at San Gerardo de Dota 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Sooty thrush (Turdus nigrescens)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Turdus ("thrush") nigrescens ("black-grey")

Sooty thrush (Turdus nigrescens) at San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 96g  /  Length: 25cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

An endemic of Talamancan Montane Forest, associated with oak forests, and only found in small highland pockets in Costa Rica and Panama. It superficially resembles a Eurasian Blackbird, although with a notably pale iris. It's main prey is insects and spiders, although as with most thrushes will also eat small fruits.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Turdus
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 
 
- Sighting Locations - 

COSTA RICA - Spanish - Mirlo Negruzco ("Blackish Blackbird")
Endemic to Talamancan Montane Forest Habitat
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at San Gerardo de Dota

 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Clay-coloured Thrush (Turdus grayi)

OTHER NAMES: Clay-colored Robin
Latin Etymology: Turdus ("thrush") grayi (named for a naturalist)

Clay-coloured Thrush (Turdus grayi) at Hotel Robledal, Costa Rica- November 2025

Featured Subspecies: Turdus grayi casius

Weight: 75g  /  Length: 23-27cm  /  Wingspan: 34-38cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A widespread and common bird of Central America and the National Bird of Costa Rica where it is known as yigüirro - a role it was chosen for in 1977 due to it's ubiquity and familiar and memorable song. Like many thrushes, they have a varied diet including fruit and invertibrates, and from my sightings of them at least, seemed to particularly favour hanging around wet muddy areas.

 
Related Species: 
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Turdus
SUBSPECIES: T. g. tamaulipensis, T. g. microrhynchus, T. g. lanyoni, T. g. yucatanensis, T. g. linnaei, T. g. grayi, T. g. megas, T. g. casius, T. g. incomptus, T. g. suarezi
 
- Sighting Locations -

 COSTA RICA - Costa Rican Spanish - yigüirro
A widespread and common species
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at all locations
 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Sialia (a kind of bird) sialis (a kind of bird)

Adult female Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) at Campton, Illinois, USA in August 2024

Featured Subspecies: Sialis sialis sialis
Weight: 27-34g  /  Length: 16-21cm  /  Wingspan: 25-32cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Another iconic bird species of North America, the Eastern Bluebird is a bird frequently found perching on exposed points including telephone wires and dead branches as they hunt for invertibrates such as crickets and grasshoppers. They are often associated with the coming of Spring in popular culture.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Sialia
SUBSPECIES: S. s. sialas, S. s. bermudensis, S. s. nidificans, S. s. fulva, S. s. guatemalae, S. s. meridionalis, S. s. caribaea

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES -  Migratory species of Eastern Lower 48
 - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: Seen several times in Campton, Illinois 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Turdus ("thrush") migratorius ("migratory") 

Adult female American Robin (Turdus migratorius) at Berkeley, California - August 2022

Featured Subspecies: Unclear - possibly Turdus migratorius caurinus (The Northwestern Robin)
Weight: 77g  /  Length: 23-28cm  /  Wingspan: 31-41cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Despite the name, the American Robin is not actually related to the Robins found in Eurasia and is infact a member of the Thrush family, connected by only having a red chest. They are the most abundant bird species in North America, present at different times of the year from the Southern border of Mexico to all but the Arctic fringes of Alaska and Canada.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Turdus
SUBSPECIES: T. m. migratorius, T. m. nigrideus, T. m. achrusterus, T. m. caurinus, T. m. propiquus, T. m confinis, T. m. phillipsi

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 
An abundant resident throughout the Lower 48 and Alaska, migratory within it's range.
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at  Berkeley and San Francisco 

 Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Brown-headed Thrush (Turdus chrysolaus)

OTHER NAMES: Red-bellied Thrush, Brown Thrush, Rufous-Breasted Thrush

Latin Etymology: Turdus ("thrush") chrysolaus ("gold thrush")

Female Brown-headed Thrush (subspecies T. c. orii) at Kamakura, Japan - November 2014

Featured Subspecies: Turdus chrysolaus orii
Weight: 60-70g  /  Length: 23cm  /  Wingspan: ?
ABSENT FROM UK / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Out of all the species I have put on this site, this species seems to have least information available on my normal sources.  I picked this bird out late in my trip to Kamakura feeding high in the trees with a flock of smaller birds such as Japanese Tit and Japanese White-eye.  It breeds in the Russian Far East and Northern Japan and travels South in Winter.  It seems to fill much the same ecological niche as the thrushes in the UK - feeding on berries and invertebrates.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Turdus
Subspecies: T. c. orii, T. c. chrysolaus

 - Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - アカハラ  /  Aka-hara  ("Red-belly")

Breeding species in Northern Japan, Fairly Winter Migrant to the South

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Single individual seen in mixed flock at Kamakura 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus)

OTHER NAMES: Mountain Blackbird

Latin Etymology: Turdus ("thrush") torquatus ("collared")

Adult female Ring Ouzel (subspecies T. t. torquatus) at Blakenham, Norfolk - May 2022

Subspecies: Turdus torquatus torquatus
Weight: 90-138kg  /  Length: 23-24cm  /  Wingspan: 38-42cm
UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Known as "The Mountain Blackbird", the Ring Ouzel is effectively just that - with the bright white collar around its neck being the only immediately obvious sign you are looking at a Ring Ouzel rather than a blackbird.  It is the only Summer-migrant thrush we have in the UK, arriving in March and April and leaving again in September.  It's habitat is upland where they breed amoung rocks, however, they can also be seen on passage in a wide variety of places, particularly along the East and South coasts, which are probably the closest to most people, but they can turn up anywhere and these two here turned up entirely unexpectedly in the Nene Washes!  Finally, a massive thanks to Paige Hunter for spotting my first two for me while I was looking at other things!

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Turdus
Subspecies: T. t. torquatus, T. t. alpestris, T. t. amicorum

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Scarce and very local breeding Summer migrant (6,200-7,500 pairs)

 - Two passage birds seen at Nene Washes in April 2012, 5 at Cold Ashby and 2 at Blakenham in Spring 2022

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)

OTHER NAMES: Storm-Cock, Thrice-thrush, Screech-thrush

Latin Etymology: Turdus ("thrush") viscivorus ("mistletoe eating")

 Adult Mistle Thrush (subspecies T. v. viscivorus) at Geddington, Northants - December 2009

Featured Subspecies: Turdus viscivorus viscivorus
Weight: 110-140g  /  Length: 27cm  /  Wingspan: 42-28cm

UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Personally, I've found the Mistle Thrush to be the least easy to find of the resident thrushes, and indeed, also harder to find than both Redwing and Fieldfare. This may well be due to the decline in it's population. The Mistle Thrush is a large thrush, differentiated from the song thrush by drabber colours on top and a more contrasting difference between the pale belly and dark speckling. It is also more likely to appear in small groups than its counterpart.

Related Species:

Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Turdus
Subspecies:  T. v. viscivorus, T. v. deiichleri, T. v. bonapartei

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A widespread resident breeding species (170,000 territories)

 - Birds seen in Geddington and a few assorted other locations.

Further Information: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Redwing (Turdus iliacus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Turdus ("thrush") iliacus ("of the flanks")

Adult Redwing (subspecies T. i. iliacus) at Geddington, Northants - December 2009

Featured Subspecies: Turdus iliacus iliacus

Weight: 50-75g  /  Length: 20-24cm  /  Wingspan: 33-34.5cm

UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

The smallest British Thrush - the redwing is primarily a winter visitor - it arrives in huge numbers at the end of the autumn and can often be seen in large noisy flocks trying feeding on berries, often mixed with fieldfares. The main issue with this species is that it can be very flighty, and so the best photographs will almost certainly be achieved when you see it without it seeing you.  

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Turdus
Subspecies: T. i. iliacus, T. i. coburni

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Very rare breeding resident (4-16 pairs) and common Winter visitor (690,000 birds)

 - Seen at sites including Rutland Water, Pitsford Reservoir, Ditchford Gravel Pits and Geddington.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)

OTHER NAMES: Felts

Latin Etymology: Turdus ("thrush") pilaris ("to deprive of hair" )

Adult Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) at Geddington, Northants - April 2018

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 80-120g  /  Length: 25cm  /  Wingspan: 39-42cm

UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The fieldfare is the largest British thrush, and possibly also the most noisy - it can often be detected by its rather raucous call, which can often alert you to its presence long before you see them. Unfortunately for the sake of photographing them, it is also the most flighty of all the regular thrushes and will unfortunately most often be seen flying away from calling loudly as it has been disturbed from its perch.  On the plus side, when it does perch it is usually a fairly clear vantage point allowing it to be viewed from larger distances fairly easily. It usually travels in flocks, sometimes up to the hundreds, often mixed with redwing, and is almost exclusively winter visitor.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Turdus
Subspecies: none - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Occasional breeding species (1-2 pairs) and Common Winter Visitor (720,000 birds)

 - Birds seen at various sites including Rutland Water, Rainham Marshes and Geddington.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)

OTHER NAMES: Thirstle, Throstle, Whistling Thrush

Latin Etymology: Turdus ("thrush") philomelos ("nightingale")

Adult Song Thrush (subspecies T. p. clarkei) at Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall - April 2015

Featured Subspecies: Turdus philomelos clarkei
Weight: 50-107g  /  Length: 20-23.5cm  /  Wingspan: 33-36cm

UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

After the blackbird, the song thrush is the most numerous of our resident thrushes - it is more delicate in size and appearance than it's relation the mistle thrush. It feeds on snails and can frequently be found bashing them against stones to break their shells. Apparently it is declining in the UK, but is still a regular sight in appropriate habitats.  As their name suggests they are fairly impressive singers, and their call can often help locate them in high trees.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Turdus
Subspecies: T. p. hebridensis, T. p. clarkei, T. p. philomelos, T. p. nataliae  

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Common resident (1,144,000 territories)

 - Birds seen at various sites including Rutland Water, Geddington and Heligan 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Common Blackbird (Turdus merula)

OTHER NAMES: Blackbird, Eurasian Blackbird
Latin Etymology: Turdus ("thrush") merula ("blackbird")

Adult male Common Blackbird (subspecies T. m. merula) at Geddington, Northants - December 2009

Featured Subspecies: Turdus merula merula
Weight: 100g  /  Length: 25cm  /  Wingspan: 34-38cm

UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Blackbirds are easily the most common of the thrush family, being present in large numbers in most habitats throughout the year. They are also found in urban environments as much as rural ones and they will come to bird tables (although not bird feeders) and can be pretty bold with humans making them pretty easy to photograph. The best time for photographs is probably Autumn and Winter, if only because the leaves are off the trees so they are far more visible.

Further Information:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Turdus
Subspecies: T. m. merula, T. m. azorensis, T. m. cabrerae, T. m. mauritanicus, T. m. aterrimus, T. m. syriacus, T. m. intermedius      

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Abundant breeding resident (5,100,000 pairs) and very abundant Winter visitor (10,000,000-15,000,000 birds)

 - Seen in virtually every location including Rutland Water, Rainham Marshes, Regent's Park, Pitsford Reservoir, Eyebrook Reservoir and Geddington.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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