Turdus pilaris Fieldfare Thrush Sparrow Birds Aves Passeriformes Turdidae

Description

Sex : M

Origin : Italy

Age : adult

Stuffed Fieldfare male Turdus pilaris Thrush Sparrow Birds Aves Passeriformes Turdidae, only a piece, with pedestal, as in photo. Prepared in 1973.
Family: Turdidae.
Common name: Fieldfare.

The Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris Linnaeus, 1758) is a bird of the Turdidae family.
Migratory species, it nests from Scandinavia to northern Asia and winters in Europe. It nests in wooded areas, but also frequents more open and sparse habitats. It can form flocks of hundreds or even thousands of individuals, often together with the redwing.
Monogamous and territorial, it leads a gregarious life in all seasons, maintaining a social behavior even during the reproductive period, nests in small groups of 10-20 pairs and courageously defends its territory. It is predominantly insectivorous during the reproductive season and frugivorous in autumn-winter; similarly to the Blackbird, it is capable of digging in the snow, looking for food and entering shallow waters to catch small fish.
It reaches a length of approximately 26 cm, with a wingspan of up to 42 cm and an average weight of 100 g. Unlike other thrushes, it has a relatively bright color. It has a robust, yellow beak and brownish-black legs. The sexes do not present any dimorphism.
Its life cycle can exceed 18 years. The cup-shaped nest is built by the female quite high up, generally on the fork of a tree, against the trunk or on a branch, using grasses, moss, animal hair and twigs mixed and cemented with mud. It lays 4-6 pale blue eggs flecked with reddish-brown which are incubated by the female, while the chicks are cared for by both parents. It wards off potential predators (corvids and birds of prey) by spraying them with excrement, as they feed on its eggs and chicks, and is parasitized by the cuckoo.