Mistle thrush

Scientific name: Turdus viscivorus

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Large thrush with grey-brown upperparts, white underparts heavily spotted with dark brown, and a distinctive pale rump visible in flight. Males slightly larger and darker than females; white spots on tail corners are diagnostic.

Size and weight

Adults: 27–29 cm body length; 130–180 g, males averaging 150 g, females 135 g.

Habitat

Mistle thrushes occupy open woodlands, parks, and scattered tree stands from lowlands to montane zones (up to 2000 m). They favor areas with clearings, grassland, and berry-bearing trees interspersed with conifers or broadleaf woodland.

Distribution

Resident across much of Europe from Britain and Scandinavia south to Mediterranean basin and east to western Asia. Prefers open deciduous and mixed woodland; northern populations migrate southward in harsh winters.

Diet

Primarily berries (rowan, hawthorn, mistletoe, juniper) in autumn and winter; switches to invertebrates—earthworms, insects, spiders—during breeding season and spring.

Behaviour

Diurnal and highly vocal, especially at dawn and dusk. Often solitary or in pairs during breeding; gregarious in winter, forming loose flocks at fruiting trees. Relatively wary and mobile, with bounding flight.

Hunting tips

Look for whitewash and droppings on ground below favored berry trees, particularly rowan and hawthorn, which concentrate birds predictably. Approach open woodland edges with clear sightlines during early morning or late afternoon when birds are most active feeding. Move slowly and quietly along tree margins, using cover of shrubs and broken terrain; birds are alert but can be stalked by careful movement between feeding sites.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 4 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.