Medium-sized thrush, feeds mainly on invertebrates in spring and early summer, seeds and fruits, in winter found around juniper thickets feeding on its berries (Ryall & Briggs 2006). Nominate torquatus breeds in Scandinavia, Britain, Ireland and Brittany; alpestris in mountains of C and S Europe; amicorum in Caucasus and E Turkey. Torquatus prefers open moorland or fell; alpestris conifer woodlands, especially margins near moist open grass or moors; amicorum upper forest belts, rhododendron thickets and in shrubs on cliffs, nests often on ground. The european population is stable and the status is Least Concern. Migratory to resident.