The Dark-throated Thrush has two races: atrogularis, the Black-throated Thrush, and ruficollis, the Red-throated Thrush. These are sometimes considered different species. The Dark-throated Thrush is a migratory Asian taiga species, while the ruficollis variant breeds further east, but the ranges overlap.
These are large thrushes with a plain grey back and reddish underwings. The adult male atrogularis has a black throat, while ruficollis has a red throat. Females and young birds lack the bib, but have black-streaked underparts.
This species is a rare vagrant to western Europe. Most visitors are of the black-throated form.
