The Black-throated Thrush (Turdus
atrogularis) is a passerine bird in the thrush
family. It is sometimes regarded as one
subspecies of a polytypic species, "Dark-
throated Thrush", Red-throated Thrush then
being the other subspecies. [1] More recent
treatments regard the two as separate
species. [2]
The Black-throated Thrush is a migratory
Asian species. Its range overlaps with the
more easterly-breeding Red-throated
Thrush.

Description
This is a large and distinctive thrush. The
male has black from the chin to the breast
with a greyish black tail. The upperparts are
grey and the underparts are whitish with
orange-red underwing coverts. Females and
immatures are similar but the black on the
throat and breast is replaced with dusky
streaking. [1]

Habitat
Black-throated Thrushes breed along the
edges of clearings in coniferous or mixed
deciduous forest, often in the undergrowth
of Siberian Pine Pinus sibirica or mixed
spruce fir forest, especially along
watercourses or in swampy areas. [1]

Ecology
Breeds solitarily or in loose aggregations of
pairs in late May through to late July. The
nest is made of grasses and thin twigs
bound with earth and lined with fine
grasses, moss or lichens. The nest is usually
placed within 1.5 to 2m of the ground,
sometimes on the ground. Otherwise the
behaviour is similar to that of the Fieldfare
T. pilaris. In winter often found in large
flocks with other thrushes such as Tickell's
Thrush T. unicolor , Eye-browed Thrush T.
eunomus and Mistle Thrush T. viscivorus ,
on migration often with Dusky Thrush .
Roosts in dense evergreen vegetation. Feeds
on the ground on invertebrates and also
feeds on various berries, cherries and some
seeds. [1]

Distribution
The breeding range of the Black-throated
Thrush extends from the extreme east of
Europe to Western Siberia and north-west
Mongolia to Asia China and Nepal. The wintering range extends from
the Middle East, although uncommon in the
Arabian Peninsula to eastern Burma . As a
vagrant it has occurred in Japan, Thailand,
and Taiwan as well as to most of Europe
west of its normal range. [1]

Taxonomy
Formerly considered conspecific with the
Red-throated Thrush T. ruficollis but now
considered a separate species.