The upper body is olive in color, the top of the head to the upper back is tan with black vertical stripes, the eye circles are white, and a narrow stripe is formed along the upper edge and extends back to the occipital side, forming clear eyebrow lines, which are extremely eye-c

Thrush - Noisy babbler is a bird of the genus

[Animal introduction]: Thrush (scientific name: Garrulax canorus): It is a medium-sized bird in the order Birds and the family Thrush. Body length is about 23 cm. The upper body is olive in color, the top of the head to the upper back is tan with black vertical stripes, the eye circles are white, and a narrow stripe is formed along the upper edge and extends back to the occipital side, forming clear eyebrow lines, which are extremely eye-catching. The lower body is brown, with black vertical stripes from the throat to the upper chest, and the middle part of the abdomen is gray. The iris is orange or yellow, the upper mouth is orange, the lower mouth is olive yellow, the tarsometatarsus and toes are yellowish brown or light in color.

lives in bushes on hills and bushes or bamboo forests near villages. It is alert and timid. It often forages in the grass under the forest and is not good at flying over long distances. The male bird and often hide alone among weeds and branches during the breeding season and sing very well. Their voices are very loud and their songs are melodious and melodious, which is very beautiful. Omnivorous, it mainly feeds on insects, especially during the breeding season; it also eats grass seeds and wild fruits.

is distributed in Laos, northern Vietnam and the southeastern coastal areas of China. It is a resident bird in central China, South China, Hainan and Taiwan. It is the city bird of Guangzhou.

[Morphological characteristics]:

Male and female thrushes have similar feather colors. The forehead is brown, the top of the head to the upper back is brown, and there are broad dark brown vertical stripes from the forehead to the upper back. The front part of the vertical stripes is darker in color and the back part is lighter in color. The eye circles are white, and the upper edge of the white edge extends backwards into a narrow line to the side of the neck, resembling eyebrow lines, so it is called a thrush (the Taiwanese subspecies has no eyebrow lines). The side of the head, including the eye and ear feathers, is dark brown. The rest of the upper body, including the upper wing coverts, is brown olive brown. The flight feathers on both wings are dark brown. The outer flight feathers have brown edges on the outer feathers, and the base of the inner feathers also has a broad brown edge. The inner flight feathers are brown and olive brown, and the outer feathers are dark brown. The tail feathers are thick brown or dark brown, with multiple inconspicuous dark brown horizontal spots, and the tail end is darker brown. The chin, throat, upper chest and sides of the chest are brownish-yellow mixed with dark-brown vertical stripes. The rest of the lower body is also brownish-yellow, the two flanks are darker without vertical stripes, the middle part of the abdomen is gray, the perianal area is stained with brown, and the underwing coverts are brownish-yellow.

Thrush has a slender body, slightly in the shape of a large shuttle between the two tips, and has a streamlined outline. Generally, the feathers on the upper body are olive, the feathers on the lower abdomen are green-brown or yellow-brown, and a small part of the feathers in the center of the lower abdomen are gray-white without markings. The feathers and tail feathers on the head, chest, and neck are darker in color, and have black stripes or horizontal stripes. Its eye circles are white, and there is a white eyebrow on each eye, extending symmetrically from front to back, and most of them are in the shape of eyebrows, which is very beautiful, hence the name.

There is a horny rostrum (beak) at the front end of the head, which is the organ used by the thrush to peck, comb feathers, fight, and sing. Generally, the rostrum is about 20-25 mm long, and the upper rostrum is slightly longer than the lower rostrum. The cuticles of the upper lip nails are brown-black and have a larger area. The cuticles of the lower lip nails are brown-black, but are lighter in color and smaller in area than the upper lip nails. There are nostrils on both sides of the upper back and upper part of the upper lip. There is a long black mustache (commonly known as a beard) near the forehead.

Its two eyes are round. The two eyes produce various colorful " eye sand " due to different visual pigments in the eyes. There is a layer of nictitating membrane on the outside of the eyeball, which is open at ordinary times and closed tightly when flying, which protects the eyeball. The outermost layer of the eyeball has an eye ring, which also serves to protect the eyeball. Behind the eyes, there are concave ear holes as big as soybeans, surrounded by ear feathers , which help to collect sound waves.

The thrush's wings are longer, and the flight feathers are about 75 mm in length from the front chest cover to the back. When the wings are unfolded, they are 90-110 mm wide on the left and right sides. The thrush lacks glands. The only skin gland is called tail fat gland . It is born at the root of the tail feathers and can secrete oil to protect the feathers from deformation and waterproof. The lowermost part of the body is the claws, which are generally light yellowish brown in color. The height of the shin is about 40 mm.

htmlJuly-month-old young birds have light brown upperparts without vertical stripes and no horizontal spots on the tail. The down feathers on the underparts are brownish white and have no vertical stripes or horizontal spots. In September, young birds are similar to adult birds, but their feathers are slightly darker, with dark brown vertical stripes from the top of the head to the upper back, throat to chest.

The iris is orange or yellow, the upper mouth is orange, the lower mouth is olive yellow, the tarsometatarsus and toes are yellowish brown or light in color.

size measurements: Weight ♂55-58g, ♀54-75g; body length ♂195-256mm, ♀197-246mm; bill peak ♂19-23mm, ♀19-23mm; wings ♂86-97 mm, ♀83-96 mm; tail ♂93-115 mm, ♀92-115 mm; tarsometatarsus ♂33-40 mm, ♀33-40 mm ( nominates subspecies ). (Note: male - ♂; female - ♀)

[Habitat environment]:

mainly inhabits groves and bushes in low mountains, hills and plains at the foot of mountains below 1500 meters above sea level. It also inhabits forest edges, farmland, wilderness, small bushes, bamboo forests and gardens near villages and towns.

The place where thrush originates generally has a subtropical climate, which is relatively warm, with sufficient sunlight and abundant rainfall. Most of these areas are criss-crossed by rivers, have numerous reservoirs and streams, are rich in fresh water resources, and have high humidity. Therefore, these areas have lush vegetation and are abundant in insects, plant seeds and plant fruits, which are very suitable for the reproduction, growth, life and habitat of thrushes.

As a resident bird of its origin, the thrush lives in a relatively fixed area all year round and generally does not migrate far away. Its habitats are mainly shrubs on hills and shrubs or dwarfs near villages. It is also active in broad-leaved forests, coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests, coniferous forests, bamboo forests and shrubs on the edges of fields above 1,000 meters above sea level. Thrushes often move alone in the wild, sometimes in small groups. Thrush loves cleanliness and hygiene, and bathes almost every day throughout the year. Therefore, there will be no thrush where there is no water and woods. The thrush is both clever and timid, and likes to hide. It often flies in dense forests, or stands among the branches of dense trees and sings.

[Life habits]:

Activity

Resident birds, living in mountain and forest areas, often alone or in pairs, and occasionally form small groups. It is timid and alert in nature. It usually hides in dense bushes and weeds. It likes to fly and perch in the bushes. From time to time, it jumps and flies from the ground to the branches. If disturbed, it will immediately go down to the bushes, and then flee to other places along the ground. When pressed, it will take off directly, and fly quickly, but it will not fly very far before falling back. The flight is not long-lasting, and generally it does not fly very far. They often forage in the grass under the forest and are not good at flying over long distances.

Voice

is good at singing, almost non-stop from morning to night, and the song is melodious and melodious. Especially during the breeding season, the male bird is especially good at singing. The song is also more melodious and melodious, pleasant and varied. The ending sound is slightly like "mo-gi-yiu-", so the ancients called it "Ruyi Ruyi".

Food habits

Omnivorous, but the main food throughout the year is insects, especially during the breeding season, most of which are agricultural and forestry pests, including locust, stink bug , pine caterpillar , scarab beetles, Lepidoptera Tianshe moth larvae and other moth larvae, etc., are the targets of its capture. Plant foods are mainly seeds, fruits, grass seeds, wild fruits, strawberries , etc. During the breeding season, parent birds capture large quantities of insects to feed their chicks. During the non-breeding season, after the "beginning of autumn", there are fewer insects and they feed on various plant fruits, weed seeds or tender vegetables. In mountainous areas, before the arrival of frost and snow, thrushes will collect fruits and seeds and store them underground in caves or beside rocks as food for the winter. Therefore, farmers in mountainous areas have a proverb: "The thrushes store more food, and the heavy snow will last longer." In early spring, they occasionally peck at the seedlings of bean crops and corn.

[Distribution range]:

is mainly distributed in East Asia, Laos, northern Vietnam and Gansu, China , Shaanxi and Henan south to the Yangtze River basin and the vast area south of it, east to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Taiwan, west to Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan, south to Guangdong, Hong Kong, Guangxi and Hainan Island , South China and the coastal area.

[Reproduction method]:

Courtship

Every year from around Qingming to Summer Solstice in the Chinese lunar calendar, it is the breeding season for thrushes. Each pair of thrushes can generally reproduce 1-2 times a year.In March, when the spring is warm and the flowers are blooming, the male thrush is the first to go into heat, singing loudly and softly to express his love for the female bird. While making oaths to each other, it stands ready and warns possible love rivals to show that its marriage is inviolable. The thrush's hearing organ is very developed, extremely sensitive to audio vibrations, and responds very quickly. During the breeding season, male birds are particularly good at singing, especially in the early morning and evening. Its chirping is high-pitched and passionate, tactful and changeable, and persistent. It is full of charm and very beautiful. When it is called fast, it is passionate and unrestrained, like pearls falling on a jade plate; when it is called slowly, it is like flowing clouds and flowing water. Especially its long-term continuous chirping is really breathtaking and breathtaking. Therefore, some people call it the "forest singer" or "bird singer".

In order to win the favor of the female bird, the male thrush almost tries his best to sing for love tirelessly. At the same time, he spares no effort to show his courtesy to the female bird. He even pretends to walk elegantly on the branches, trying his best to show his gentle and charming demeanor, and to express his flourishing singing talent. If there are more than two competitors around a female thrush at this time, a fierce battle will be inevitable. The thrush is particularly good at fighting. During a fight, it can catch, crawl, roll, peck, and thrust without showing any signs of weakness, so it is known as the "hero bird." Of course, the thrush "Miss" who "sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers" will eventually choose the winner of the fight as her mate. However, the love between them is not exclusive and lasts forever. In other words, when their children have the ability to live independently, the "little family" established not long ago will be disbanded at the same time.

Nesting

After the male and female thrushes choose a mate, they disperse in "small families" to find a suitable place for nesting. Those with breeding experience will breed in their native places. If they encounter no enemies, they can generally live in their original habitat for several years. After they mate, they find a suitable place to build a nest in preparation for breeding offspring. Their nests are generally built on the ground in dense grass and bushes on hills or on shrub branches about 1 meter above the ground with a large tree on top and bushes on the back facing north to south. They are made of woven dry grass leaves, dead grass roots and stems. The nest is relatively hidden and is cup-shaped or oval-shaped. The outer wall is loose and rough, and the inner wall is purely made of thin grass stems and is relatively dense. The outer layer of the nest is made of leaves, bamboo leaves, grass stems, twigs, etc., and the inner lining is made of fine grass, pine branches, fine roots, etc. The inner diameter is about 9-13 cm, the outer diameter is about 13-20 cm, the nest depth is 7.5-8.5 cm, and the nest height is 10-11 cm.

lays eggs

Thrush lays 3-5 eggs per clutch, one egg per day. Its eggs are oval, light blue or sky blue, with brown spots. The egg shell is shiny and crystal clear. The long diameter of the egg is 27-28 mm, the wide diameter is 20-22 mm, and the egg weight is about 5-7 grams. The incubation temperature is 36.5-39 degrees, and the incubation period is 14-15 days. After the female bird lays the eggs, they begin to incubate them. Only the female bird is responsible for incubation, while the male bird is on guard around the nest. The parent birds are very attached to the nest during the incubation period. If there is an enemy, they will not escape along the bottom of the bush until the enemy approaches the nest. When escaping, it neither chirps nor flies far away, and returns to the nest 3-5 minutes after the enemy leaves.

fledgling

When a fledgling is born, its eyes have not yet opened and its whole body is covered with sparse down feathers. It relies entirely on food from its male and female parent birds. The chicks start feeding on the second day after they emerge from the shell. Gradually their eyes begin to open, needle-like feathers grow on their body surface, their appetite gradually increases, and they can compete with other chicks for food in the nest. The chicks leave the nest at about 25 days old. At this time, their body size begins to increase significantly, and they are gradually able to crawl into the nest. Small feathers begin to appear, and pintles grow on the tops of their needle feathers. Their shape is close to that of adult birds. However, due to their weak flying and foraging abilities, they still need to be led by their parents to find food. They are fed by their parents for about 3 weeks before leaving the nest and following their parents. At this time, you can see your parents leading their young birds through the bushes.

In another 6-7 weeks, all the feathers of the chick will have grown, and it will be able to fly and forage freely. Although the appearance of the young bird at this time is not much different from that of the adult bird, in terms of the internal development of the bird, it is not yet fully mature.Therefore, it must also go through the "moulting" stage of about two months before and after the "Mid-Autumn Festival" before it can begin to live independently. As winter turns to spring, they also have the ability to mate and reproduce, and can be said to be fully mature. If the chicks are lost due to enemies or human interference during the breeding period, the parent birds can lay eggs for a second time.

[Protection level]:

is listed in the "World Conservation Union Red List of Endangered Species" (IUCN) 2018 ver 3.1 - Least Concern (LC).

is listed in China's " National List of Key Protected Wild Animals" (February 5, 2021) Level 2.

is listed in Appendix I, Appendix II and Appendix III of the 2019 version of Appendix I, Appendix II and Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

[Population status]:

The thrush is a specialty bird in China, mainly distributed in China. It is not only an important agricultural and forestry beneficial bird, but also has a melodious and melodious song. It can also imitate the songs of other birds. It is known as the "King of Babblers" at home and abroad. Therefore, a large number of them are not only captured and raised by private citizens for viewing every year, but also exported abroad in large quantities, resulting in a significant reduction in the population. Protection should be strengthened and hunting should be controlled.

The global number and size of the species has not been quantified, but the species is described as relatively common. Trend demonstration: The quantity trend is difficult to determine. It is already very scarce in its original distribution area in Vietnam, which may be mainly due to strong trapping pressure. Its abundance is lower in southern and western China, suggesting that it has exceeded the decadal growth alternative time scale. Despite high trapping pressure, the species remains common in China, where the species easily inhabits near human settlements. Overall, numbers may be declining, but the rate of decline may be slow to moderate.

This species has a wide distribution range and is not close to the fragile and endangered critical value standard for species survival (distribution area or fluctuation range is less than 20,000 square kilometers, habitat quality, population size, distribution area fragmentation), and the population number trend is stable, so it is evaluated as a species with no survival crisis.