Blue Rock Thrush

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Blue Rock Thrush in the UK

A very rare vagrant, in Category A of the British List. The first was a young male at Skerryvore Lighthouse, Argyll, from 4 to 8 June 1985. Eleven had been accepted by the end of 2022. The best known is the male that wintered on a housing estate in Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, from December 2016 and was seen at Beachy Head, Sussex, in April 2017. Records fall in both spring and autumn, and several were one-day birds. 2019 and 2022 each produced two.

Where and when to see a Blue Rock Thrush

Cornwall and Scilly account for four of the eleven records. The rest are scattered: Argyll, Caernarfonshire, Radnorshire, Gloucestershire, Orkney, Essex and Norfolk. Spring birds have come between April and June, autumn birds from late September to November. Look on sea cliffs, rocky headlands and quarries, which feature twice in the records, and on rooftops near the coast. News goes out on the bird news services. Be ready to move the same day, as few have stayed.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Rocky cliffs (very rare).
Diet: Insects.
Field note: Slate-blue male.

How to identify a Blue Rock Thrush

About the size of a Starling and a little smaller than a Blackbird, with a long bill and a shortish tail. The adult male is dull slate-blue all over with darker wings and tail, and can look black in poor light. Females and young birds are grey-brown above, sometimes with a blue tinge, and buff below with fine dark barring that gives a scaly look. It perches upright on rocks, roofs and chimneys, drops to the ground for prey and is often shy. The tail is always dark, never orange.

Call and song

Usually silent in Britain. The calls are a hard 'tak' and a thin, high 'tsee'. The song is a loud, clear, fluting warble with a sad tone, a little like a Blackbird's. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Rock Thrush: Rock Thrush has an orange-red tail in all plumages, and the male has orange underparts and a white back patch.
• Blackbird: Blackbird is larger and longer-tailed, the male jet black with an orange-yellow bill and eye-ring, and it feeds on lawns and under bushes.
• Starling: Starling has a short tail, pointed triangular wings and spotted, glossy plumage, and walks busily on the ground in groups.

Related guide Rare birds in the UK.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Blue Rock Thrush is a Legendary tier bird, worth +50 points when you log one. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Rock ThrushLegendary · Mountains (very rare)
• Brown BoobyLegendary · Sea-cliffs (very rare)
• Little SwiftLegendary · Cliffs (very rare vagrant)
• White-rumped SwiftLegendary · Cliffs (very rare)
• Eastern Black RedstartEpic · Coastal cliffs (very rare race)
• Alpine AccentorLegendary · Mountains (very rare)

Blue Rock Thrush: quick answers

Has a Blue Rock Thrush ever been seen in the UK?

Yes. Eleven were accepted up to 2022, starting with one on a Hebridean lighthouse rock in 1985. The Stow-on-the-Wold bird of winter 2016 to 2017 stayed for months and was widely twitched.

Is the Blue Rock Thrush rare in the UK?

Extremely. It averages fewer than one record every three years, and most birds have stayed a day or less. It breeds no nearer than southern Europe, where western populations hardly migrate.

What habitat does Blue Rock Thrush live in?

Rocky places: sea cliffs, gorges, quarries and mountain slopes, and also old buildings, castles and town roofs around the Mediterranean. British vagrants have chosen similar spots, including two quarries and a housing estate. It feeds on insects, small lizards and berries.

Kit that helps

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