- Lifespan
- 10–20 years in the wild, with some individuals recorded living longer in captivity
- Size & Weight
- 24–29 cm, wingspan 34–38 cm; 75–107 g
- Habitat
- Gardens, parks, woodlands, hedgerows, and scrubland with dense vegetation and leaf litter for foraging.
- UK Distribution
- Found throughout the UK as a resident year-round, with populations supplemented by continental migrants in autumn and winter.
- Diet
- Omnivorous, feeding on earthworms, insects, grubs, and berries, especially rowan, hawthorn, and ivy berries in autumn and winter.
- Prey
- Earthworms, beetle larvae, grubs, insects, and invertebrates; supplemented with fruit
- Predators
- Sparrowhawks, cats, stoats, and occasionally corvids; chicks are vulnerable to magpies and jays
- Mating Season
- March to July
- Breeding
- Clutch size 3–5 eggs, incubation period 11–14 days, fledging period 12–16 days; typically 2 broods per year, sometimes 3
- Behaviour
- Males are highly territorial and vocal, with a distinctive flute-like song used to defend breeding territories. They forage by characteristically hopping along the ground and turning over leaf litter. Social structure varies seasonally; males are solitary and aggressive during breeding but may tolerate females.