| Ring Ouzel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Turdidae |
| Genus: | Turdus |
| Species: | Turdus torquatus |
The Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus) is a songbird in the family Turdidae. The name "ouzel" comes from the Old English "osle", meaning "blackbird."
Description[]
The Ring Ouzel is about 25 cm (9.8 in) long, has a wingspan of about 40 cm (15.7 in), and weighs 110 g (3.88 oz). It is similar, in shape, to the Common Blackbird. The male is predominantly black with a scaled pattern on its belly (bolder in the Central-Southern European subspecies), while the female is dark brown. Adults of both sexes have a characteristic white half-moon-shaped patch on their chest, which is not as evident in juveniles. The bill is yellowish, the legs are light brown, and the iris is black.
Voice[]
The song is similar to the Common Blackbird's, but more hoarse and monotonous, and the call is drier.
Behaviour[]
It is a solitary bird, usually seen alone or in pairs. It is shier than Blackbirds and Song Thrushes, and generally doesn't frequent human settlements.
Feeding[]
It feeds mainly on earthworms, but in summer and autumn, its diet also includes berries, insects and small molluscs.
Breeding[]
The Ring Ouzel nests in bushes such as junipers and rhododendrons, usually between 1 and 3 metres of height; or sometimes higher on a spruce. The female builds a cup-shaped nest with grass, stems, pine needles, moss, lichens and dirt, lined internally with soft plant material. Between mid-April and July, she lays 3 to 6 greenish eggs (commonly 4 or 5) with red-brown spotting, which the adults incubate for 12-14 days. The chicks are altricial and have reddish down on their heads and backs. They leave the nest when they're 14-16 days old, and reproduce for the first time at 1 year of age. Ring Ouzels breed once or twice a year.
Distribution and Habitat[]
The Ring Ouzel lives in mountainous areas and nests in open coniferous forests and rocky areas. It breeds on the Pyrenees, the mountains of the UK, the Central Massif in France, the Alps, the Balkans, the Carpathians, North Scandinavia, and the Caucasus. It winters on the Southern Mediterranean and in South Iran.