What they like

Semi-open green with messy edges. Hedges, shrubs, lawns with moss, a bit of leaf litter and shade. Wet spots are a bonus: they attract earthworms. Leave a corner of leaf litter in the garden and don’t mow everything perfectly. In parks and farmyards: plant a dense hedge of hawthorn, blackthorn, privet or holly. In agricultural areas: wide hedgerows and species-rich field margins; mow ditch banks in phases.

Ecological importance

Feeds mainly on earthworms, slugs and insects. That clears away the “nibblers and crawlers” and is what it feeds its young on. In late summer it takes berries from rowan, hawthorn and elder and disperses the seeds. It itself is on the menu of sparrowhawk and goshawk: part of a living landscape.

When in the Netherlands

All year round. Most breeding birds overwinter in southern Europe; in autumn and winter extra birds arrive from the north.

Status

Common, but there’s always room for improvement. More cover and more soil life help straight away.