Mistle Thrush

• GeneralIt sings through a gale, which earned it the English nickname stormcock.
• Its scientific name means mistletoe eater, and it is the plant's main disperser in Europe: the seeds pass through its gut and stick to branches when the bird wipes its bill, planting them exactly where they will germinate.
• A single bird can defend a berry-laden tree all winter, driving off every other thrush and securing the larder until spring.
• It sings from the top of a tree in the middle of a gale, when every other bird falls silent, and that habit has earned it the English name stormcock.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Open woodland, dehesa, pine woods, olive groves and wooded farmland of Europe and western Asia

Sexual maturity

12 months

Gestation / incubation

14 days of incubation

Litter / clutch size

4 eggs

Sources consulted: Wikipedia (es): Turdus viscivorus