Introduced from Europe between 1862- 78 and now found throughout the mainland and offshore islands of New Zealand in gardens, orchards, parks, exotic plantations, scrub, hedgerows and regenerating native forest.

The upperparts are warm brown, buff-white below, with breast boldly spotted dark brown.  The bill is yellowish brown with yellow gape, and the legs are pinkish brown.  The male song is a loud string of repeated clear-cut musical phrases, each separated by a brief pause: ‘chitty-choo, chitty-choo, co-eee, co-eee….’  The alarm note is a rapidly repeated ‘chuk’ or ‘chip’ and the flight call is a thin high-pitched ‘seep’.

The Song Thrush feeds mostly on the ground, hopping and running then remaining motionless.  They eat invertebrates such a snails ( hammered open on a regular ‘anvil’), insects, worms, amphipods, millipedes and spiders and a variety of fruits from native and introduced shrubs and weeds.  They cause damage to commercial crops such as  berryfruits, grapes, pipfruit , stonefruit and tomatoes.

Breeding is from August to February and 2 – 3 broods a year are raised.  A substantial nest of twigs, grass, roots and moss, bound together with mud and smoothly lined with mud is built by the female in the fork of a shrub or hedge  The clutch of 2 – 6 clear greenish blue eggs with small black spots is incubated by the female for 12 – 13 days.  Both parents feed the chicks which fledge at 13 – 15 days old.  The young remain with their parents and are occasionally fed for several more weeks.

Photography by:  Dr Kerry Rodgers © (adult, left) and by Max McRae © (juvenile, right)

References: Heather, B.D.; Robertson, H.A. 2000 The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand. Auckland, Viking.
Moon, G The Reed Field Guide to New Zealand Birds.