Fieldfare
Turdus pilaris
Fieldfares employ a unique defense called 'fecal bombing,' where they fly over potential nest predators and spray them with droppings to mat their fur or feathers.
- Scientific name
- Turdus pilaris
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Turdidae › Turdus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Open woodlands, forest edges, orchards, and hedgerows.
- Diet
- Invertebrates and earthworms during breeding season; berries, fallen fruit, and grain during winter.
- Range
- Europe, Russia, Siberia, Scandinavia, Central Asia
- Size
- Length: 25 cm; Wingspan: 39-42 cm; Weight: 80-120g
- Lifespan
- 2-5 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Agricultural intensification, loss of hedgerows, and extreme winter weather events.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and skittish. Observe from a distance with binoculars. If the bird emits a loud 'tsak-tsak' chattering or begins dive-bombing, you are near a nest; retreat slowly to avoid causing the bird stress.
The fieldfare ( Turdus pilaris ) is a member of the thrush family Turdidae. It breeds in woodland and scrub in northern Europe and Asia. It is strongly migratory, with many northern birds moving south during the winter. It is a very rare breeder in the British Isles, but winters in large numbers in the United Kingdom, Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of molluscs, insects and earthworms in...
Photo: Михаил Голомысов, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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