FAMEPedia:Today's featured article/August 14, 2021

The ring ouzel (Turdus torquatus) is a medium-sized thrush, breeding mainly in Europe. The male is mostly black with a white crescent across its breast, females are browner and duller than the males, and young birds may lack the pale chest markings. This is ahigh-altitude bird, breeding in open mountain areas with some trees or shrubs, often including heather or juniper. It is migratory, wintering in southern Europe, North Africa and Turkey, typically in mountains with juniper. The clutch is three to six brown-flecked pale blue or greenish eggs, incubated by the female, and hatching after 13 days. The downy chicks fledge in another 14 days. The ring ouzel is omnivorous, eating invertebrates, particularly insects and earthworms, some small vertebrates, and a wide range of fruit. Most animal prey is caught on the ground. With an extensive range and a large population, the ring ouzel is evaluated as a least-concern species by the IUCN. There are declines in several countries, perhaps due to climate change or human disturbance.