Bird watching in Thailand: the black-capped thrush (Turdus cardis)

The black-capped thrush (Turdus cardis) or Japanese thrush in English, is a passerine bird in the thrush family (Turdidae).

The black-capped thrush is a true migratory bird that breeds in central China and Japan. In winter, the animal migrates to southern China (including Hainan) and northern Laos and Vietnam, leaving the breeding grounds around October. It occasionally turns up as a migrant in Taiwan and also roams Thailand. The bird breeds in deciduous and coniferous forests, as well as secondary forest and even gardens and parks.

The black-capped thrush is a medium-sized thrush. The two sexes have different plumage. The male has a black head, chest, back, wings and tail, and a white underparts with black spots on the upper abdomen and flanks. The legs, beak and thin eye ring are yellow. The female is brown above and has a white throat, breast and belly, with rusty brown on the flanks and black spots.

The thrush feeds on the ground, scratching through leaf litter to find insects and earthworms, but also eats fruit. The bird lays 2-5 eggs in a nest made of twigs and moss, bound with mud and lined with hair.