Red-throated Thrush

Red-throated Thrush (Turdus ruficollis) is a medium thrush whose adult male has a brick-red throat and upper breast contrasting with a grey-brown back and pale belly. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds from eastern Siberia to northern Manchuria, forages for ground invertebrates and fruit and migrates to western China, Myanmar and north-eastern India, occasionally wandering beyond its usual route. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).