Scientific name: Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bird group: Thrushes and allies
Field characters. 14 cm. Easily identified by earth-brown upperparts, white belly and undertail, and orange face and breast, separated from upperparts by grey band. Eye large and dark, standing out clearly. Sexes similar, juvenile spotted and scaled with golden edges, like juvenile thrush or nightingale. Stance upright. Usually tame and easily approached. Pair holds territory in summer and individuals hold territory in winter, which is aggressively defended and advertised by loud song, also in winter.
Voice. Call sharp metallic 'tic tic', sometimes rattling. Song, heard throughout the year, loud and melodious, given from elevated rarely exposed songpost.
Distribution. Common resident in west and south, summer visitor in north and east.
Habitat. Deciduous moist forest with undergrowth, parks and gardens. Avoids very dense woodland, dense dry pine forest and open areas. On migration also found near isolated bushes and hedgerows in open country.
Food. Invertebrates, seeds and fruits. Mainly feeds on ground with short sallies from low perch, sometimes by probing and scraping in humus layer.