Fieldfare

The Fieldfare is a large, boldly patterned thrush, a common winter visitor across much of temperate Europe from its more northerly breeding range, often first noticed as noisy flocks descending on berry-laden hedgerows and orchards.

Appearance

Adults show a distinctive combination of a blue-grey head and rump, a rich chestnut-brown back, and a boldly spotted, buffy-orange breast fading to a whitish belly. In flight, the contrasting grey rump and dark tail, along with white underwings, are conspicuous and diagnostic.

Key Field Marks

• Blue-grey head and rump contrasting with chestnut-brown back
• Bold dark spotting on an orange-buff breast, whiter belly
• Dark tail contrasting with the pale grey rump
• White underwing linings, obvious in flight
• Large size, often in noisy flocks

Similar Species

Mistle Thrush is uniformly grey-brown without the contrasting grey head/rump and chestnut back of the Fieldfare, and has rounder spots on a whiter breast. The Fieldfare's tricolor pattern of grey head, chestnut back, and grey rump makes it one of the more distinctive and easily identified European thrushes.

Habitat

Fieldfares breed in open birch and mixed woodland, forest edges, and scrub across northern Europe, often nesting semi-colonially. In winter they favor open farmland, orchards, and hedgerows rich in berries, especially hawthorn and rowan, ranging widely across fields in search of food.

Range and Migration

The species breeds from Scandinavia and northern continental Europe eastward across much of Siberia. It is strongly migratory, with most populations moving south and west in autumn to winter across temperate and southern Europe, sometimes in enormous flocks numbering in the thousands, particularly where berry crops are abundant.

Behavior

Fieldfares are highly gregarious outside the breeding season, moving in large, loose, noisy flocks, often mixed with Redwings, across open farmland to strip berries from hedgerows or to probe frozen or unfrozen ground for invertebrates. During the breeding season, they nest in loose colonies and will collectively mob and defecate on approaching predators to drive them away.

Voice

The flight and contact call is a loud, harsh, chattering "chack-chack-chack," frequently given by flocks in flight and one of the most familiar sounds of the winter countryside where the species occurs. The song is a rather quiet, unremarkable warbling mix of squeaky and chattering notes.

Nesting and Breeding

Fieldfares often nest semi-colonially in loose groups in trees, building a bulky cup nest of grass, twigs, and mud. The female lays 5-6 eggs and incubates them for about 11-14 days; colonial nesting is thought to help defend against predators through mobbing behavior.