Song thrush "Turdus", is the Latin for "thrush", and the specific epithet refers to a character in Greek mythology, Philomela, who had her tongue cut out, but was changed into a singing bird. Her name is derived from the Ancient Greek "Φιλο" "philo-" ("loving"), and "μέλος" "melos" ("song"). The dialect names "throstle" and "mavis" both mean "thrush", being related to the German "drossel" and French "mauvis" respectively. "Throstle" dates back to at least the fourteenth century and was used by Chaucer in the "Parliament of Fowls". Mavis is derived via Middle English "mavys" and Old French "mauvis" from Middle Breton "milhuyt" meaning
Song thrush a red underwing in flight. The mistle thrush ("T. viscivorus") is much larger and has white tail corners, and the Chinese thrush ("T. mupinensis"), although much more similar in plumage, has black face markings and does not overlap in range. The song thrush has a short, sharp "tsip" call, replaced on migration by a thin high "seep", similar to the redwing's call but shorter. The alarm call is a "chook-chook" becoming shorter and more strident with increasing danger. The male's song, given from trees, rooftops or other elevated perches, is a loud clear run of musical phrases, repeated two to