BBC Wildlife - UK (2021-12)

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

The Woodland Trust is doing

everything it can to help the

native mistle thrush to thrive again

MEET

THE MISTLE

THRUSH

W

hen it comes to

birds associated

with Christmas,

the mistle thrush

may not immediately spring

to mind. But, with a penchant

for mistletoe and holly berries,

as well as being one of the

only birds that continues to

sing throughout winter, it

deserves a second look.

The mistle thrush measures

28cm in length, making it both

the UK’s largest thrush species

and songbird. With

a long tail, yellow

legs and a plump

white belly that’s

speckled with

brown spots, this bird certainly

has a distinctive appearance.

Sadly, your chances of

spotting one in the wild are

slim as its population has

been in decline since the

1970 s – between 199 5 and

201 0, England lost a third of

its native mistle thrushes, and

numbers are still plummeting.

It’s thought that a high infant

mortality rate could be to

blame, as well as other factors

such as loss of habitat.

The Woodland Trust is

working hard to save the

mistle thrush, but if it is to truly

flourish in this country again,

the charity needs your help.

THE MISTLE

THRUSH

FACT FILE

COMMON NAME:

Mistle thrush (Turdus

viscivorus)

FAMILY: Turdidae

(thrushes)

HABITAT: woodland,

parks and gardens

DIET: berries,

earthworms, slugs

and insects

PREDATORS: cats, foxes

and birds of prey

NOT TO BE CONFUSED

WITH: the song thrush,

which is much smaller

Mistle thrushes have

a distinctive white,

spotted breast

December 2021 BBC WILDLIFE 25

HOW TO HELP

There are a few simple steps

you can take to make your

garden a safe space for these

endangered birds, such as

planting berry bushes and

only trimming them every few

years so that they produce

a lot of fruit. You could also

plant holly, yew, ivy and crab

apple trees, all of which

provide food and shelter for

the mistle thrush. These birds

are extremely territorial when

it comes to food, and they

often work together to prote ct

their bounty from competitors,

so where there’s one,

others are likely to follow.

If you have mistle thrushes

visiting your outdoor space,

another way you can help is

by keeping pet cats indoors,

as they are predators of

many garden birds.

Mistle thrush

depend largely

on berries

IM

AG

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What’s more, by supporting

the Woodland Trust, you’ll be

helping the organisation to

raise awareness about the

threats facing the mistle thrush

and continue its efforts to

protect and restore its natural

habitat, as well as creating

new spaces for it to live.

For more information and to become a member of the Woodland Trust for

as little as £4 a month, visit woodlandtrust.org.uk/WL or scan the QR code

Registered charity numbers 2943 44 and SC0 38885