Song Thrush
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Song Thrush
Bird
The song thrush is a much-loved garden bird with a beautiful, repeating song. It is a champion snail-hunter, famously smashing them against a stone "anvil" to reach the soft meal inside.
💡 Fun Facts
- The song thrush is famous for repeating each musical phrase two or three times, as if practising its favourite tunes.
- It is one of the few birds clever enough to use a tool — it smashes snails against a favourite stone called an "anvil" to crack them open.
- Its warm brown back and speckled, arrow-shaped spots help it blend into dappled woodland shade.
📅 Through the Year
- Breeding:March to July
Name Story
Turdus philomelos
means “the song-loving thrush”
a traditional storyThe link to Philomela is a traditional tale people have told for a very long time.
What does its name mean?
- Turdus — thrushLatin turdus ‘thrush’
- philomelos — song-lovingGreek philos ‘loving’ + melos ‘song, melody’
Its name is all about its music: a thrush that loves to sing. Long ago people even tied it to Philomela, a famous singer from an old Greek tale.