What is a Mistle Thrush?
The Mistle Thrush is a large songbird, commonly found in parks and gardens, woodland and scrub. The Mistle Thrush probably gets its common name from its love of Mistletoe. It enjoys the sticky berries and, once it has found a berry-laden tree, will guard it from any would-be thieves.
The Mistle Thrush is pale greyish-brown, with a white belly covered in round, black spots (see photo below). It is larger and greyer than the Song Thrush.
You will not see a Mistle Thrush if you live in north-west Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, as they do not currently live in those areas.
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Bird Watching Activities
Brilliant Bird Watching 
A birdhouse covered in snow
There are around 592 different kinds of bird in the UK.
Some people make a hobby of looking out for, or ‘spotting’, beautiful birds. This is called ‘bird watching’ 
A Mistle Thrush and can be lots of fun. You can bird watch in a park, nature reserve or even from your bedroom window.
How to Bird Watch 
Bird watching
Birds are usually quite shy, so you need to be quiet and careful around them. If you want to get close to a bird, take very slow steps and don’t make any loud noises.
Some birds aren’t shy at all of course. If you’ve ever eaten a sandwich near pigeons or seagulls, you’ll know what we mean!
The best places to see birds are in parks or gardens, because birds like trees and grass. However, in cities birds like to perch on roofs and lampposts. Some bird watchers use binoculars to see birds up close but, for everyday purposes, you can usually see enough with your own eyes.
Which Birds are Which?
Around your local park or flying over your house, you might see magpies, blue tits, swallows, robins and starlings. On a pond or lake you might see ducks, swans or herons.
Click here to view the RSPB bird-watching guide to see if you can match names and pictures of the birds in your area.
National Nest Box Week
National Nest Box Week begins on the 14th of February and runs until the 21st February 2012. That’s because this is when British birds start making nests.
Birds make nests in all sorts of places – trees, roof tops and even chimneys. Once the nests are made, birds lay eggs which hatch into baby birds.
Last winter was the coldest for over 30 years. Because it was so cold, lots of birds couldn’t look after their babies. You can help look after baby birds by building them a nest box. This is a place where adult birds can look after their babies and keep them safe from the cold. Most bird nest boxes (also known as ‘bird houses’) are made of wood.
