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Thrush (bird)

Thrushes

Hermit Thrush
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Division:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Turdidae
Genera
Many: see text

The Thrushes in the family Turdidae are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly but not exclusively in the Old World.

They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs.

The taxonomic treatment of this large family has varied significantly in recent years. Traditionally it included the small Old World species, like the Nightingale and European Robin in the subfamily Saxicolini, but now often either that group or the whole family is now placed in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae.

This article follows Handbook of Birds of the World and retains the large thrushes in Turdidae.

For species previously in Turdidae, see Muscicapidae and chatss.