Dietary habits of wintering Pale Thrush Turdus pallidus in the urban green environment of subtropical Okinawa-jima Island, Japan

Abstract

Knowledge of the feeding behavior of omnivorous migrant birds is important to understand their migration ecology. This study revealed the dietary habits of the Pale Thrush Turdus pallidus overwintering on Okinawa-jima Island, Japan. Food items consumed were determined from the contents of the gizzards of 32 birds; at least 24 animal and eight plant species were identified. The contents of 84.4% of the studied gizzards were dominated by a single species or item. The Pale Thrush forages on various animals and plants, but in its winter habitat it feeds extensively and exclusively on select food items within a short period.