Share: “Naumann's Thrush”
Order: Passeriformes, Family: Muscicapidae; Total length: 24 cm; Distribution: Asia
The Naumann's Thrush, a winter bird, has white eyebrows and a spotted pattern on its breast and is the same size as a White-cheeked Starling. They usually visit Japan in October and can be seen in towns in November when persimmons are ripe. Its voice is harsher than that of the Brown-eared Bulbul. After the arrival of the new year, they become easier to spot as they spend more time on the ground looking for food.
Play birds singing
Berries take on beautiful colors in the fall, making them easy to find by birds with sensitive color perception. Since birds need a lot of nutrition to fly, they eat very often. But since they must also maintain a light body weight, they defecate frequently. Their high metabolism rate is another reason why they must eat so often.
The size and shape of berries make them easy for small birds to swallow. After consuming them, the birds distribute the seeds far away in their droppings.
Many winter birds raise their chicks in the Far East region of Russia during the spring and summer, after which they fly south in the fall, spending the winter on the Korean Peninsula, in Japan or regions further south. Naumann's Thrushes that survive the winter will feed on insects and worms on the ground during the spring before heading to the forests of the Siberian tundra.
On starry autumn nights, we can often hear such bird calls as “kyu kyuu” (by Naumann's Thrush) and “chiririri” (by Pale Thrush or Brown-headed Thrush, both of which belong to the same thrush family).
Wild birds do not suffer from poor vision at night; they are actually able to see quite well in the dark. With fewer natural predators like hawks to contend with and no sun taking a toll on their wings, nighttime provides the ideal opportunity for some birds to migrate long distances. Some exceptions, however, include hawks and other raptors, swallows, which are excellent fliers and can forage for food during flight, and bigger birds like cranes and swans.
Thrushes have a bigger body than sparrows and a thin bill like other birds. They mainly feed on insects in the spring and summer, while in the fall and winter they swallow berries, which helps in the scattering of the seeds.
Most winter birds will fly north from Japan in the spring to breed in Russia during the spring and summer months. Some Naumann's Thrushes, however, will stay in Japan until the beginning of May.
