A fairly large and quietly handsome thrush with a blue-grey head, rich chestnut-brown back, grey rump, and a variable peachy-buff tone across the spotted breast. It nests in wooded habitats, often choosing forest edges close to more open feeding areas. In winter it is more often seen in open woodland, hedged farmland, orchards, and parkland. It frequently breeds in loose colonies and may remain sociable outside the breeding season, mixing with Redwings and other thrushes while feeding in fields or fruiting trees. Its song is not especially musical for a thrush, made up of scratchy, muddled phrases, and its call is a strong, dry “chak-chak,” reminiscent of an old camera shutter.