Cikovt (Turdus philomelos) is a thrush about the size of a magpie. It is about 23 cm long. We will recognize it by its gray-brown back and pale belly speckled with black spots. Its head, nape, back and wings are uniform gray-brown, the neck, throat, chest and belly are adorned with black spots ranging from triangular to heart-shaped. The whiteness of the belly on the hips and throat is somewhat offset by ochre color, which is characteristic of the inner side of the lower wings.
Cikovt is a diurnal bird that mainly feeds on earthworms and adult insects and their larvae. In summer, when the ground dries, the majority of its diet consists of slugs. The cikovt reaches the snail's soft body by striking it against a rock, thereby breaking its shell. In autumn and winter, when animal food is scarce, the cikovt mainly eats plant fruits. It most enjoys various berries.
The habitat of the cikovt is moist mixed and deciduous forests with lush undergrowth, but it also lives in open landscapes interspersed with living hedges. It likes to announce its presence with its song in the evenings. Its song is so attractive and varied that it has earned the folk name 'nine-note singer'.
A cup-shaped nest that it lines inside with a mixture of wood shavings and clay, woven from grass and leaves, and hides in a shrub or the crown of a tree, preferably in a bramble or ivy. The nesting period is long — it lasts from March to June or even longer, during which time it rears two or three clutches. Our song thrushes do not migrate, but in autumn individuals from northern populations join them here, wintering here or simply gathering strength for the continuation of their journey to the Mediterranean.
