Song Thrush (turdus philomelos)

As the name suggests, song thrushes are famous for their call, which is usually made up of short, repeated calls (often three or four). You can find them in parks, open grassy spaces and farmland. Their spotted chest makes them easy to recognise. They are part of the same family of birds as blackbirds, mistle thrushes and redwings - the last two also have spotted chests but are a bit bigger than a song thrush.

Unfortunately, since changes in farming practices in the 1970s, particularly the removal of hedgerows and the increase in intensive farming, their numbers have declined. They are now to be found on the red list for conservation, which means that they are a bird of serious conservation concern. This is thought to be because of a loss of nesting sites and a loss of food sources. Song thrushes love to eat worms, snails, slugs and berries. They are experts at smashing snail shells to eat the tasty snail inside.