Fieldfare

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Fieldfare in the UK

Fieldfare is a common and widespread winter visitor from Scandinavia and eastern Europe. The standard estimate is about 720,000 wintering birds, though that figure is decades old and numbers vary with the weather and berry crop abroad. It was found in 92% of UK 10-km squares in the last winter atlas. As a breeding bird it has all but gone: about one pair a year was reported between 2015 and 2019. That breeding decline is why it is Red-listed. It is protected under Schedule 1.

Where and when to see a Fieldfare

Lowland farmland anywhere in the UK from mid October to early April. Look along tall hawthorn hedges while the berries last, then on pasture, playing fields and orchards with windfall apples. Flocks range from ten to several hundred and often include Redwings. The first big arrivals hit the east coast in October with easterly winds. Snow and hard frost push birds into gardens, where cut apples on the lawn will hold them. Dusk brings flights to roost in scrub.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Hedgerows, fields (winter).
Diet: Berries, worms.
Field note: Grey rump, harsh "chack-chack".

How to identify a Fieldfare

A big, upright thrush, close to Mistle Thrush in size. No other British thrush has this pattern: blue-grey head and rump, dark chestnut back and black tail. The breast is washed orange-buff with black arrowhead marks, thickest on the flanks, and the belly is white. In flight the white underwing flashes against the dark body and the grey rump stands out from behind. On the ground it stands tall, runs a few steps and stops with its head up.

Call and song

A loud, harsh "chack-chack-chack", given in flight and as a flock takes off. It is the sound that gives most Fieldfares away. Feeding birds also make a thin, nasal "weeip". The scratchy, chuckling song is rarely heard in Britain. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Mistle Thrush: Mistle Thrush is plain grey-brown above with round spots below and a dry rattling call, and lacks the grey head and rump.
• Redwing: Redwing is much smaller with a cream stripe over the eye and rusty red flanks and underwing.

Month by month

A winter visitor, typically in the UK from October through to April. Numbers peak in January. See the January birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in UK garden birds.

Taller bars mean more birds about. Grey means it is usually absent.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Fieldfare is an Uncommon tier bird, worth +3 points when you log one. It is Red-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the highest level of concern in the UK. It is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so it is an offence to disturb it at or near the nest. We blur the location of every sighting of this species.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• RedwingCommon · Fields
• BlackbirdCommon · Gardens
• Red-throated ThrushLegendary · Fields
• American RobinEpic · Gardens
• Black-throated ThrushEpic · Open woodland (very rare)
• Dusky ThrushLegendary · Woodland (very rare)

Tell it apart

Side-by-side ID guides: Redwing vs Fieldfare.

Fieldfare: quick answers

When is the best time to see Fieldfare?

November to February. Birds arrive from early October and most have left by mid April, with a few flocks lingering into May in the north. In the second half of the winter, once hedgerow berries are stripped, they are easier to find on open grass.

What does a Fieldfare eat?

Berries in autumn and early winter, above all hawthorn, rowan and holly, plus fallen apples. Later it turns to earthworms, leatherjackets and other invertebrates taken from short grass. A single bird will often defend an apple tree or berry bush against all comers in hard weather.

Is the Fieldfare rare in the UK?

Not in winter, when it is one of the most numerous thrushes in the countryside. It is very rare as a breeding bird, with only a pair or so reported in a typical recent year. That is the reason for its Red-list status, not any shortage of winter birds.

Kit that helps

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