Know your thrushes - Song and Mistle

Song and Mistle Thrush are two garden species that are readily confused; both are grey brown in appearance; both have a spotted breast and pale legs. However, with good views and the right pointers both can be identified with confidence.

[jamesgrey]

I was stood about 10 ft below a thrush, on the banks of the River Rhymni in Cardiff this morning, listening to its song. I'm now 99% convinced it was a song thrush. Thanks for the upload. Much appreciated.

[Meltyfairy]

wow! I LOVE BIRDS. I just saw a mistle thrush in Scotland!! It was so exciting to see a new bird. This video is excellent. Thank you xoxox

[marynikoloff]

Thank you for the clear informative video. 🌿

[jamestracey]

I live in Port Glasgow Scotland, I’ve always been aware of the wildlife around my neighbourhood since I was a kid, so it was good to hear and see the mistle thrush a few years back and now they are everywhere

[colinwood]

Great info thank know the mistle thrush was so songful.

[marchar]

Thank you for this identification crisis I have been having. Thought I had a mistle thrush in my garden, but it is a song thrush.

[drdavidsands]

I heard a Mistle Thrush today as I practiced T’ai chi in my small terraced house back garden. The bird was perched in the garden next door high in branches of a neighbour’s tree. The ‘rattle’ call caught my attention and the speckled breast feathers of the larger thrush made me wonder if it was the Mistle species. This video confirmed my tentative identification. Cheers.

[wordreet]

Thanks for uploading this. Now I know it's a Song Thrush that I'm hearing every morning at the moment as I walk up from the bus stop to go to work. At other times, I've also heard and seen blackbirds. At least two pairs around there, because I've seen two males having a stand off and two females at another time.

[gardeniainbloom]

I think it's the Song Thrush that insist on waking me up at an ungodly hour. Good to know.

[jamesscaz]

Sadly, same here too. I live in the south west and over the years i seem to see less and less, and don't here them very often either.

[holyeti]

I'm hearing the rattle now and if sounds harsher and more distinct

[BTOvideo]

Try our latest video on 'Nightingale and Other Night Singers' - . Most of the other videos also touch on bird song and call for the specific species.

[johnharris]

Good stuff my lady. How refreshing it is to hear somebody that knows what they're talking about. A lot of information about the bird world is, by my rating, pathetic!

[peterabbott]

extremely rare is the song thrush, nowdays ..

[goognamgoognw]

I love birds, This means i am for controlling human populations and to change the laws that allow the destruction of nature to build more human dwellings.

[billyarmstrong]

If you could stop your mouth for 2 minutes whilst the mistle thrush was singing it would have been great.