Song thrush thrush recognizes the cuckoo's non-mimetic eggs. However, the song thrush does not demonstrate the same aggression toward the adult cuckoo that is shown by the blackbird. The introduced birds in New Zealand, where the cuckoo does not occur, have, over the past 130 years, retained the ability to recognise and reject non-mimetic eggs. Adult birds may be killed by cats, little owls and sparrowhawks, and eggs and nestlings are taken by magpies, jays, and, where present, grey squirrels. As with other passerine birds, parasites are common, and include endoparasites, such as the nematode "Splendidofilaria (Avifilaria) mavis" whose specific name "mavis"
Common rock thrush nests in rock cavities, laying 4–5 eggs. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, berries and small reptiles. The male common rock thrush has a clear and tuneful song. Common rock thrush The common rock thrush ("Monticola saxatilis"), formerly rufous-tailed rock thrush or rock thrush, is a chat belonging to the family Muscicapidae. It was formerly placed in the family Turdidae. The scientific name is from Latin. "Monticola" is from "mons, montis" "mountain", and "colere", "to dwell", and "saxatilis" means "rock-frequenting", from "saxum", "stone" . It breeds in southern Europe across central Asia to northern China. This species