Fieldfare
Fieldfare
Bird
The fieldfare is a large, colourful winter thrush that arrives in Britain in huge flocks each autumn. It roams fields and hedgerows feasting on berries and windfall apples before heading north again in spring.
💡 Fun Facts
- The fieldfare is a big, handsome thrush that flies to Britain each autumn from Scandinavia and Russia to escape the freezing northern winter.
- They travel in noisy, chuckling flocks and love to strip hedgerows of berries, especially hawthorn and rowan.
- In a cold snap a fieldfare will even guard a berry-laden bush, chasing other birds away to keep the feast for itself!
📅 Through the Year
- In the UK:October to March
Name Story
Turdus pilaris
means “the field-traveller thrush”
likely meaningScholars aren't certain where pilaris came from — it may have grown out of an old mix-up between two similar-sounding Greek words, one meaning 'thrush' and one meaning 'hair'.
What does its name mean?
- feld + faran — field + to travelOld English
- turdus — thrushLatin
- pilaris — most likely 'thrush' as wellLatin
'Fieldfare' is a lovely old English word meaning 'field-traveller', and it's spot-on: these winter thrushes roam over open fields in chattering flocks. The Latin pilaris most likely just means 'thrush' too.