Mistle Thrush

Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Mistle Thrush, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

UK Birds of Conservation Concern	Red listed
Species of European Conservation Concern	Least Concern
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)	Least Concern
Schedule 1 license required (to disturb)	No
Birds Directive Annex 1	No
Listed on the Annexes of	WBD(II*), Bern(III), Bonn(II)

Like those of Song Thrush and Blackbird, Mistle Thrush populations have declined significantly since the mid 1970s. The species was moved from the green to the amber list of Birds of Conservation Concern in 2002 because of its UK population decline, and in the latest review it was added to the red list because its decrease had worsened (Eaton et al. 2015). The BBS map of change in relative density between 1994-96 and 2007-09 indicates that across Britain there is a steep gradient between decrease over that period in the southeast and increase in the northwest. Demographic data do not show any significant trends since 1967; population decline is thus likely to have been driven by reduced annual survival (Siriwardena et al. 1998b). The European trend has been broadly stable since 1980 (PECBMS: PECBMS 2020a>).

UK breeding population

-62% decrease (1967–2022)

Mistle Thrushes are widely distributed throughout Britain & Ireland, being found in 88% of 10-km squares in winter and 86% in the breeding season. They are absent from the Outer Hebrides and Northern Isles and from western parts of Co. Mayo. Some of these areas are occupied in winter by small numbers of immigrants. Otherwise, the only significant gaps are in the higher Scottish uplands. Densities are highest in Ireland. In Britain there are scattered pockets of high density, including some at moderate altitudes on the eastern fringe of the Highlands.

Minor changes in winter and breeding range size belie marked regional trends in abundance, with decreases in abundance through much of England. These changes mirror a breeding population decline which has been under way since the 1970s.

Mistle Thrush is widely recorded in winter, spring and summer but is hard to detect post breeding.

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report

Maximum Age from Ringing	11 years 4 months 9 days (set in 1982)
Typical Lifespan	3 years with breeding typically at 1 year
Adult Survival	0.621±0.025
Juvenile Survival	0.57 (in first year)

Wing Length	Adults	157.4±4.4 | Range 151–165mm, N=949
	Juveniles	157.1±4.5 | Range 150-164mm, N=357
	Males	159.5±4 | Range 152–166mm, N=194
	Females	155.4±4.6 | Range 149–163mm, N=148

Body Weight	Adults	126±11.7 | Range 108–145g, N=725
	Juveniles	127±11.2 | Range 108–145g, N=304
	Males	120±9 | Range 107–136g, N=142
	Females	124±10.7 | Range 106–142g, N=113

Feather measurements and photos on featherbase

Ring size	C
Field Codes	2-letter: M. | 5-letter code: MISTH | Euring: 12020

For information in another language (where available) click on a linked name

Causes of change

Declines may be linked to reduced survival of juveniles. The paucity of information specific to Mistle Thrush represents a gap in knowledge that needs to be filled by new research.

Further information on causes of change

Similarities in population trends between Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush and Blackbird suggest a common cause of decline (Siriwardena et al. 1998a). As for Song Thrush (Robinson et al. 2004), Mistle Thrush decline may be linked to reduced survival of juveniles: both adult and juvenile survival was lower during periods of negative population trend than in stable or increasing ones (Siriwardena et al. 1998b). Demographic data do not suggest any close link between the population trend of Mistle Thrush and its breeding productivity, as there is no evidence of increased failure rates at egg or chick stage, or of reduction in fledglings per breeding attempt.

Mistle Thrush declines recorded by CBC were especially evident on farmland. Drainage of fields and removal of hedgerows would have reduced the habitat available for Mistle Thrush, as they did for Song Thrush (Chamberlain et al. 2000b, Peach et al. 2004).

Information about conservation actions

This species has been declining since the 1980s, but the main drivers of decline are not yet clear. Declines may be linked to reduced survival of juveniles and hence could be caused by similar reasons to the declines to its relatives, Blackbird and Song Thrush.

In the absence of specific research, therefore, similar actions to those proposed for Blackbird and Song Thrush may also benefit Mistle Thrush. These could include managing hedgerows or woodland habitat for wildlife (including management to provide good quality nesting cover in woodland), and policies to provide grazed grassland within arable landscapes and damper soils in summer.