Latin name: Turdus eunomus | Japanese Name: ツグミ (tsugumi)
Size: 23-25cm
Location: Dusky Thrushes are migratory birds from Siberia that winter in Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and South-Eastern China.
Habitat: When arriving in Japan each autumn, they tend to dwell in dense cover. As the months get colder, however, they venture into more open areas like grassy fields and farmland. In our neighborhood, we’ve recently started spotting them pecking for worms in a Japanese plum tree grove.
Diet: Dusky Thrushes forage for fruits and berries and hunt for bugs and earthworms. Worm hunting is a multi-sensory activity for thrushes (along with blackbirds and robins). They use their keen sense of hearing to listen for earthworms moving underground, feel for soil vibrations with their feet, and use their monocular vision for a 360° view of their surroundings to detect any subtle movements. For those curious to know what earthworms sound like, here is an audio recording of what Dusky Thrushes may be listening for as they hunt.
For this post, we consulted Cornell Lab and Kevin Short’s Nature in Tokyo.
Beautiful illustration!
birds are so smart!! i love the dusky thrush sitting on the little branch there 🥹🤩