We have a pair of beautiful Siberian Thrushes (Zoothera sibirica) that have been housed in an aviary inside our Tropical House for the past year.
Yesterday they were moved to a much larger outdoor aviary – with lush greenery and flowing water and sunshine! I took the opportunity to capture these very shy birds on camera to share with our Blog readers.
In the wild, Siberian Thrushes breed in Siberia and are strongly migratory, usually moving to South-Eastern Asia for the winter. They are very occasionally seen in Western Europe.
These Thrushes are members of the Turdidae family and are similar in size to the Song Thrush. They are very secretive birds that spend most of their time in forest undergrowth. Omnivorous, they eat a wide range of insects, earthworms, fruits and berries.
The male Siberian Thrush (pictured above right) is dark blue-grey above and below, with a white strip above his eye. His lower belly and flanks are white. The female (left) is a much browner bird, with a buff stripe above her eye. A striking feature that identifies both sexes in flight is the black band on their white under-wings, a feature shared with the White Thrush.
Animal Keeper, Fern Daly (right) made sure there were no gaps or potential escape routes in the outdoor aviary before the Siberian Thrushes were released!
This was the moment just prior to release (left) – a lovely sunny Spring day for the Thrushes to experience their new outdoor living space!
Just seconds after being released into their new outdoor enclosure –the male Siberian Thrush (right) and the female (below).
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