Bird guide · Turdus philomelos
Song Thrush
What the song thrush eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from across the UK.
- Season
- Partial migrant
- Size
- 8.7 in (22 cm)
- Eats
- fruit, mealworms
- Feeds
- ground
- Most common
- Wales, Northern Ireland, England
Food
What do song thrushes eat?
At feeders, song thrushes take fruit, mealworms.
Feeds on the ground in parks and gardens; piles of broken snail shells betray its presence.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do song thrushes live?
Breeds throughout Britain and Ireland; Amber-listed after steep declines in the 1970s and 1980s. By share of all bird sightings, song thrushes are most common in Wales (1.1%).
Nations where song thrushes are most common
- Wales1.1%
- Northern Ireland1.0%
- England1.0%
- Scotland0.8%
Share of all bird sightings in each nation that are song thrushes, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the song thrush migrate?
Partial migrant. Across the UK it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in February.
Share of all bird sightings in the UK that are song thrushes, by month.
Identification
How to identify the song thrush
Adults: Brown back and neatly spotted cream breast.
Size: 8.7 in (22 cm)
On camera
Getting the song thrush on a feeder camera
Most visits happen on the ground or on low trays. A camera feeder with a wide tray, placed low near cover, catches far more than a hanging tube.
Questions
Song Thrush: questions
What do song thrushes eat?
At feeders, fruit, mealworms.
Do song thrushes migrate?
Partial migrant. Across the UK it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in February.
Where do song thrushes live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Wales, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland.
More birds