Song Thrush
Turdus philomelos
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Distribution Britain 2,620 (-2.1%) Ireland 947 (-2.3%)
Numbers breeding: Britain 990,000 Ireland 390,000 European status: 16,000,000 (9% in Britain and Ireland = 3=) British population trend: serious losses (-52% CBC, -66% farm){-55%} How likely are you to record it? 2,944 squares (65.6%) Ranked 14 [9] |
The Song Thrush was a familiar and common bird throughout Britain and Ireland where there was some sort of cover a hundred years ago. It was absent from Shetland and sparse in the far west of Ireland and, every now and then, knocked back in numbers by cold winter weather. These losses were generally made good after a few years of mild winters. Earlier this century they colonised Shetland but, since the very cold winter of 1947, they are not regular there. There is some evidence, from 60 or 70 years ago, that the ratio of Song Thrush to Blackbird began to change very much in the Blackbird's favour. However it was 25 years ago that the CBC index began to show a steep decline (-66% on farmland) and, although they are still common birds, many fewer are present particularly in farmland and garden areas. In some areas the number of breeding attempts each year is now too few to sustain the population. Overall it seems that the survival of young birds through their first winter has declined in the last 20 years. These subtle changes may be enough to cause the declines. Is the 1998 increase of 18% on the BBS going to be sustained? It will need to carry on for several years to make good the losses!
UKBAP English Nature RSPB.
The following Bird On! pictures are available:
Song Thrush (Watercolour by Robert Gillmor)
The following Bird On! sketch is available:
From
The
State of the Nations Birds
Copyright © 2000 by Chris Mead