Black-throated Thrush
Turdus atrogularis Jarocki, 1819 (1, 1)
Photo © Graham Catley - Wykeham, Yorkshire, February 2023
STATUS
Eurasia. Monotypic.
OVERVIEW
BOU (1971) state that there are three records, but the 1868 record due to its association with Swaysland (A. H. J. Harrop, British Birds 112: 89-98; BOURC (2021), Ibis 163: 305-306) has been discredited and is unacceptable.
RECORD
1). 1879 Perth & Kinross Friarton, Perth, Perthshire, immature male, obtained, February, now at Perth Museum and Art Gallery (PERGM 1977.778).
(H. M. Drummond Hay, Transactions of the Perthshire Society of Natural Science 1: 135-138; H. M. Drummond Hay, Ibis 1889: 579-580; Harvie-Brown, 1906; Witherby, 1920-24; Thom, 1986; Forrester & Andrews et al., 2007; BOURC (2021), Ibis 163: 305-306).
History H. M. Drummond Hay of Perth (1889) in The Ibis, Vol. XXXI. pp. 579-580, dated 31st August, 1889, says: 'It may be interesting to the Members of the B.O.U. to mention that by a mere chance a short time ago I heard of a Thrush with a black throat having been shot several years since in the vicinity of Perth, and that suspecting from the description that it might turn out to be Turdus atrigularis of Temminck, I made immediate inquiries, and ultimately obtained a sight of the bird, which proved to be, as I had suspected, the true Black-throated Thrush of Siberia (Turdus atrigularis).
It was shot near the side of the Tay, a little below Perth, in the very severe winter of 1878-1879, in the month of February, by Mr. Robert Gloag, and was in company with another bird of the same species on a spit of waste ground thickly interspersed with thistles, docks, and wild sorrel, on the seeds of which they seemed to be feeding.
There was a thaw at the time, after a lengthened snow-storm, and Mr. Gloag being out with gun, and having some knowledge of birds, was attracted by their noisy call-notes, which were strange to him. He therefore fired and secured one of the birds; the other flew off across the Tay, over Moncrieffe Island, into the woods below the Kinnoull Cliffs, and was not seen again. Fortunately the bird was preserved and was given by Mr. Gloag to his brother, Mr. John Gloag, in whose possession it has been for many years, and who, notwithstanding the rarity of the bird, kindly presented it to the Perthshire Society of Natural Science for their Local Museum at Perth, in which it is now placed.
The bird is about the size of the Redwing, and, as fas as one can judge, about 6½ inches in length. The whole of the upper parts are olive brown, darkest on the head, each feather being margined with a lighter shade. Throat and breast dark brownish black, each feather lighter on the edges, giving it a somewhat streaky or mottled appearance. Belly dirty white, shading into greyish brown on the flanks; vent dirty white, feathers edged with pale reddish brown; tail uniform darkish brown; shafts of feathers underneath very pale yellowish brown, inside of wing rich yellowish chestnut; bill (apparently) brown above and yellowish underneath, about the same size as that of the Redwing, but slightly stouter; legs and claws yellowish brown. I have no doubt as to the identity of the bird.'
Accepted locally (Harvie-Brown 1906: 65-66).
Forrester & Andrews et al. (2007 (2): 1141) say: 'The first for Scotland was shot at Friarton, Perth, during February 1879....Specimen now at Perth Museum and Art Gallery (PERGM 1977-778).'
Comment The other bird with it is inadmissable through lack of detail.
1950-57 RECORD
2). 1957 Fair Isle Double Dyke, Vatstrass, adult male, trapped, 8th December to 22nd January 1958, photo.
(P. E. Davis, Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report 1957: 21-22; P. E. Davis, Fair Isle Bird Observatory Bulletin 4: 6, 15; E. V. Baxter, Scottish Birds 1: 119; P. E. Davis, British Birds 51: 195-197, plate 33; G. A. Pyman and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 53: 168; Thom, 1986; Dymond, 1991).
History P. E. Davis (1957) in the Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report, pp. 21-22, says: 'One last extreme rarity came to round off the season, an adult male Black-throated Thrush (Turdus ruficollis atrogularis) the fifth for Britain and the first for Fair Isle in 1957.'
P. E. Davis (1958) in British Birds, Vol. LI. pp. 195-197, says: 'An adult male Black-throated Thrush (Turdus ruficollis atrogularis) was persuaded to enter the Double Dyke trap at Vatstrass, Fair Isle, at 13.25 hours G.M.T. on 8th December 1957. It was later released at the observatory, and was usually to be found in the vicinity of the buildings until the 16th.
It was photographed in the hand by my wife (see plate 33), and was watched at various times by G. Stout of Field, J. Stout of Midway, and Alan Till.
My wife and I left Fair Isle on 20th December, and' we later learnt that the bird reappeared in the area of the observatory buildings soon after that date. It was seen there regularly, by the Stouts and others, until about 22nd January 1958 (the middle of a week of severe weather with much snow).
The male of this species is one of the easiest of birds to identify, and it is probably unnecessary to reproduce the detailed laboratory description, which is virtually a paraphrase of that given in The Handbook. In the field, the enormous black bib, contrasting sharply with the whitish lower breast and belly, can be clearly seen at a distance of a hundred yards or more in moderate light. The dark area extends to the lores, supercilium and sides of the neck, the ear-coverts being a similar grey-brown to the rest of the upperparts, the crown rather darker and with black markings in the centre of most feathers. The tail has grey-brown central feathers, and dark, almost black, outer ones. In the Fair Isle bird the black feathers of the head and' bib were mostly tipped narrowly with grey, but these tips were hardly noticeable in the field, except that they gave a slightly ragged effect to the edges of the bib. The bill was dark brown except for the basal two-thirds of the lower mandible, a striking orange-yellow.
In size and shape this thrush is very like a Fieldfare (T. pilaris) appearing to have a proportionately longer tail than some of the other thrushes. Most of the time it was under observation, our bird was' engaged in exploring the short turf of the sheep-grazings, in exactly the manner of a Blackbird (T. merula). Worms are scarce in the Fair Isle pasture, and none of the food located was large enough to be seen by an observer, but during complete snow-cover on 9th and 10th December the thrush was glad enough to visit piles of meaty and fatty scraps we had placed around the area.
When approached, this bird would stop, raise its head, and stare intently, often for some minutes if the watcher did not come nearer than fifteen yards. Occasionally it would fly on to a wall, if one were close, to take a better view. The usual method of retreat was by running, and it would only fly when hard pressed or too restricted by obstacles. The tail was often cocked on landing. No call was heard at any time.
Although thrushes of four other species were present, the Black-throat never consorted with them, except at the time of first capture when it was closely accompanied by two Redwings (T. musicus).
The measurements of the Fair Isle bird were all at the upper limit of the range given in The Handbook: wing (straight) 143 mm., (chord) 140 mm., tail 105 mm., bill 22 mm., tarsus 36 mm. The weight at first capture (13.25 hours on 8th December) was 89.6 gm., which is light for a bird of Fieldfare size,, but this had improved to 95.0 at recapture at 14.15 G.M.T. on the 14th. The flight-feathers were little abraded. There were none of the pale tips to the greater coverts which are said to characterize the first-winter bird.
The record is the first for Fair Isle and The Handbook gives four others for Britain. Rather curiously, all the occurrences have been in mid-winter. The key to possible explanation of this is given in The Handbook's statement that some individuals remain in the breeding area in central Russia when the majority move south to winter in India. It may be that such individuals would be particularly prone to long-distance hard-weather movements, and this 1957 record is known to have been preceded by hard weather over much of Europe. It may also be that adult males would be more sedentary than females or young, and four of the British birds are known to have been males; but this should not be overstressed, since the female is a far less conspicuous bird.'
NOT PROVEN
0). 1868 Sussex Near Lewes, male, shot, 23rd December, now at Booth Museum, Brighton.
(J. Gould, Ibis 11: 128; T. J. Monk, Field 2nd Jan., 1869: 9; T. J. Monk, Zoologist 1869: 1560; Anon., Proceedings of the Zoological Society 1869: 4; Yarrell, 1871-85; BOU, 1883; J. H. Gurney, jun., Transactions of the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists' Society 4: 629; Borrer, 1891; Walpole-Bond, 1938).
[A. H. J. Harrop, British Birds 112: 89-98; BOURC (2021), Ibis 163: 305-306].
History John Gould of London (1869) in The Ibis, Vol. XI. p. 128, dated 30th December 1868, says: 'While writing the above [Black-headed Bunting], the post has brought me a letter from Mr. T. J. Monk, of Mountfield House, Lewes, informing me that on the 23rd inst. a fine example of the Black-throated Thrush was shot near that place, and is now in his possession. It is a male in excellent condition, and is, as he rightly believes, the first specimen of the species on record as obtained in Great Britain.'
T. J. Monk of Mountfield House, Lewes (1869) in The Field of 2nd Jan., Vol. XXXIII. p. 9, says: 'On Wednesday, Dec. 23, a fine example of the Black-throated Thrush (Turdus atrogularis) was shot near Lewes. The bird, which proved on dissection to be a male, was in excellent condition, and, having been carefully handled, was in fine order for preservation; and in this respect has received ample justice from the hands of Mr. Swaysland, of Brighton, where it may be seen.
This rara avis is well described by Bree, in his Birds of Europe, and on comparison with the engraving, Vol. I. p. 187, was easily distinguished. It is, I believe, the first specimen taken in Great Britain.'
Anon. (1869) in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society, p. 4, at the meeting held on 14th January 1869, says: 'Mr. George Dawson Rowley, F.Z.S., exhibited, and read the following remarks upon, a specimen of a rare Asiatic Thrush (Turdus atrogularis, Temminck) recently killed in this country, this being its first recorded appearance in the British islands: - "The specimen of Turdus atrogularis was shot near Lewes, Sussex, on December 23rd, 1868. It is a young male, as shown by its plumage; dissection also confirmed the fact. I saw the bird in the flesh, and took particular care to ascertain its history, because it belongs to the fauna of Central Asia, and is only an accidental visitor to Europe.
To find such a species on the south coast of England appears to me a matter of considerable interest. It is now in the collection of T. J. Monk, Esq., of Mountfield House, near Lewes, who purchased it for a trifle of a working-man".'
Alfred Newton (1871-74 (1): 276-277, 4th ed.) in Yarrell's British Birds, says: 'Another eastern bird of well-marked migratory disposition and a northern range sufficiently high to send it occasionally on its autumnal passage wandering over western Europe, is the Black-throated Thrush above figured. Of this species, a young male example, shot near Lewes, December 23rd, 1868, was on the same day taken to Mr. T. J. Monk of that town, and now forms part of his choice collection. Mr. Gould recorded the capture in the Ibis for January, 1869 (p. 128), and a note to the same purpose from the owner of the specimen is printed in The Zoologist for February (s.s. p. 1560), while the latter permitted Mr. Rowley, who himself saw the bird before it was skinned, to exhibit it at a meeting of the Zoological Society on the 14th of January (Proc. Zool. Soc., 1869, p. 4).'
Admitted nationally in their first List of British Birds as the first for Britain (BOU 1883: 3).
J. H. Gurney, jun. (1884-89) in the Transactions of the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists' Society, Vol. IV. p. 629, says: 'A young male was shot by a man named Robinson, about a quarter of a mile from the town of Lewes in Sussex, on the 23rd of December, 1868, and was taken next day to Mr. T. J. Monk, at whose house the writer has more than once had the pleasure of examining it.'
Accepted locally (Borrer 1891: 47-48) and Walpole-Bond (1938 (2): 71-72) who adds: '...It is a matter of very small moment, but Borrer (p. 47) was wrong in stating that the specimen was brought to Mr. T. J. Monk (of Lewes), though the latter did acquire it. What actually happened was this, as I gather from a letter, dated February 4th, 1909, from Mr. T. Parkin (an intimate of Monk's) to Mr. A. F. Griffith. Monk, whilst out of doors, met a bricklayer carrying the bird, which he had just killed. Astutely the former recognised it as a great rarity. Thereupon the bird promptly changed hands for five shillings, the recipient of the money imagining that he had gained easily the best of the bargain. Indeed he afterwards laughingly told his cronies that he considered Monk a fool for having given him so much for a "old Thrush".
After Monk's death this specimen found its way into the Booth Museum, at Brighton, and I am surprised that Mr. Griffith (Cat. B. Dyke Rd. Mus., B'ton., 5th ed. 1927, p. 266), when cataloguing the bird, states that it was brought to Monk. Quite evidently he had forgotten the existence of Parkin's letter, which he sent me so that I could get at the real facts of the case.'
Comment Parkin was heavily involved in the 'Hastings Rarities' fraud (Nicholson & Ferguson-Lees 1962). Swaysland has been found to be heavily involved with fraud (A. H. J. Harrop, British Birds 112: 89-98). Conflicting reports of how it was amazingly obtained all point to it being very suspicious. Not acceptable.
0). 1909 Kent Newenden, adult male, shot, 30th January.
(T. Parkin, British Birds 2: 378-380, photo; Eds., Field 13th Mar., 1909: 459; Ticehurst, 1909; Walpole-Bond, 1938).
[E. M. Nicholson & I. J. Ferguson-Lees, British Birds 55: 299-384 HR].
History T. Parkin (1909) in British Birds, Vol. II. pp. 378-380, says: 'On February 1st, 1909, Mr. G. Bristow, taxidermist, of St. Leonard's-on-Sea, brought to me in the flesh a male specimen of the Black-throated Thrush (Turdus atrigularis Temm.), which had been shot by a man named Fuller on the previous Saturday (January 30th) at Newenden, in Kent. The bird was killed on the Kentish side of the River Rother, which separates the two counties of Kent and Sussex.
This, so far as we know, is the third example of this Siberian Thrush which has been obtained in Great Britain.
The first was killed near Lewes, in Sussex, on December 23rd, 1869, and was bought by the late Mr. T. J. Monk from the man, a bricklayer, who had just shot it, and was at the time Mr. Monk met him, carrying the bird in his hand. I have often had the story from Mr. Monk's own lips. After Mr. Monk's death, the rarest of the birds in his collection were, through Mr. A. F. Griffith, obtained for the Booth Museum at Brighton, and amongst them was this specimen of T. atrigularis.
For the second recorded specimen obtained in Great Britain, Mr. J. A. Harvie-Brown kindly draws my attention to the one now in the Perth Museum, which was shot in February, 1879, on the banks of the Tay, and originally recorded by Col. Drummond Hay (cf. Trans. Perth Soc. Nat. Sciences, Vol. I. pp. 135-138; see also Ibis, 1889, p. 579).
Mr. H. E. Dresser in his Manual of Palearctic Birds gives the habitat of this species as Asia, north to the Obi and northern Yenesei, south to the Altai and Turkestan, east to Lake Baikal; in winter migrating south to Assam, northern India, Baluchistan, and Afghanistan; has occurred in Europe as a rare straggler in the Caucasus, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, and France and Great Britain.
Mr. Dresser also informs us that "it has been found breeding in the Altai Range, and at Imbatskaya, on the Yenesei River", and that it lays four to six eggs, which vary considerably, some resembling the ordinary type of the Blackbird, whereas others more resemble those of the Mistle-Thrush, but have the ground-colour of a deeper blue.'
Accepted locally (Ticehurst 1909: 9-10).
In an Editorial (1909) in The Field of 13th Mar., Vol. CXIII. p. 459, they say: 'At the last meeting of the British Ornithologists' Club Mr. T. Parkin exhibited a fine adult male Black-throated Thrush (Turdus atrogularis), which had been shot at Newenden, Kent, Jan. 29. This specimen, which was seen by Mr. Parkin in the flesh, makes the third record for Great Britain.'
Comment Hastings rarity. Not acceptable. Regards the first record an erroneous statement is made concerning the year; it was published in 1869 but the occurrence was in 1868. Also the scientific name was recorded differently. Saturday was definitely the 30th January, not 29th as per The Field.
0). 1911 Kent Wittersham, adult male, shot, 15th March.
(W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 27: 94; N. F. Ticehurst, British Birds 5: 50; E. N. Bloomfield, Hastings & East Sussex Naturalist 2: 3; Walpole-Bond, 1938).
[E. M. Nicholson & I. J. Ferguson-Lees, British Birds 55: 299-384 HR].
History W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, Editor (1911) in the Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club, Vol. XXVII. p. 94, at the 168th Meeting of the Club held on 10th May 1911 at Pagani's Restaurant, London, says: 'Dr. N. F. Ticehurst exhibited a male example of the Black-throated Thrush (Turdus atrigularis, Temm.) which had been shot at Wittersham, in Kent, on the 15th of March, 1911. It had been submitted to him in the flesh for examination. This was the second example that had been obtained in Kent, and constituted the fifth record for the British Isles.'
N. F. Ticehurst (1911) in British Birds, Vol. V. p. 50, says: 'The fifth British specimen of the Black-throated Thrush (Turdus atrigularis) and the second for Kent, was shot at Wittersham on March 15th, 1911. It was forwarded to Mr. Bristow, of St. Leonard's, for preservation, and he kindly brought it to my house in the flesh. I carefully examined it and found that it was quite fresh, and without doubt a recently killed bird. On dissection it proved to be a male.
I afterwards had the pleasure of exhibiting it at the May meeting of the British Ornithologists' Club (vide Bull B.O.C., XXVII. p. 94). The Black-throated Thrush is one of those eastern species that may be expected to turn up from time to time in these islands at migration time, since it has wandered more than once to Heligoland and Denmark, and has occurred with some frequency in Central Europe, while further east it naturally occurs more often still.
Ten days prior to the shooting of the present specimen, a more than usually heavy migration of Mistle Thrushes, etc., was recorded at Dungeness Lighthouse, which is only some ten or fifteen miles to the south of Wittersham; although no evidence exists to connect the two, it at least suggests that this bird may have arrived with our returning Mistle Thrushes. The previously recorded examples of this bird were given in full at p. 379 of Vol. II. of this Magazine.'
Acceped locally (Walpole-Bond 1938 (2): 72).
Comment Hastings rarity. Not acceptable.
