A winter visitor to Cyprus and the Akamas peninsula. Some years it visits the island in large numbers while others, lesser.

It’s seen in many different habitats, but prefers forested areas, or other open areas with scattered trees and bushes. It often forms flocks, and in contrast with other thrush species is less cryptic and often sits exposed high up in trees or other obvious spots.

It feeds on fruit, earthworms, snails and insects. It’s a biggish thrush species, with a grey head, brown upper side of the back that stops abruptly and continuous with light grey up to the tail, which is dark brown, almost black. The underparts are also very colorful, with orange-chestnut chest and more beige sides of the belly, with dense black spotting and the middle part of the belly being white without spotting. The bill is yellowish.