456 



PERCHING BIRDS 



Fieldfire "^^^ second of the two British migratory species of 



(Turdus pilaris) ^P^"^^^ thrushes is the fieldfare, which, Hke the red- 

 wing, usualK' arrives in October and departs in the 

 following April, although occasionally remaining till Ma}-. The species 

 may be recognised at a glance by the grey head and lower part of the 

 back, the chestnut-brown of the rest of the back, and the dark brown 

 wings ; the breast being reddish brown with black spots, the abdomen 

 and a streak over the e\-e white, and the flanks and under tail-coverts 



white with greyish-brown and dark 

 brown spots. A duller tone char- 

 acterises the plumage of the hen. 

 In young birds the head is dark 

 brown instead of grey, the streak 

 above the eye buff, the back dark 

 wood-brown streaked with \-ellow, 

 and the flank tinged with orange. 



The summer-range of the field- 

 fare is ver\' similar to that of the 

 redwing, but is limited to the cast- 

 ward apparently b}- the valle\- of 

 the Venesei. In winter these birds 

 travel as far south as Turkestan 

 (occasionally straggling to north- 

 western India), northern Africa, and 

 southern Europe. Over the British 

 Isles (where, as already mentioned, 

 there is no authentic instance of 

 their remaining to breed) they 

 spread themselves graduall}- west- 

 wards in the same fashion as red- 

 wings. In Ireland they are less common than the latter in the south, 

 although the reverse is the case in some of the northern counties. An 

 early winter in Siberia causes an early and large influx of fieldfares 

 into Great Britain, where in such seasons the}' may arrive in September; 

 and it is commonly believed that unusually large flocks of these birds 

 presage a severe winter. Except in very cold weather, fieldfares are 

 some of the shyest of all thrushes, as they are some of the handsomest. 

 Their arrival in a district is made known by their characteristic harsh 

 call-note, which has been compared to a repetition of the syllable 

 " tsek." Not only do these thrushes associate in large flocks while in 

 this countr\', but the\- also breed in colonies within the timber-zone. 



m£ ROWLAND ' 



FIKI.UF.VkK. 



