Orange-headed thrush

Zoothera citrina

(Photo from Manuk)

Common name:
orange-headed thrush (en); tordo-de-cabeça-laranja (pt); grive à tête orange (fr); zorzal citrino (es); damadrossel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Turdidae

Range:
This species is found from southern China, west to northern Pakistan, and south into southern India, parts of Indochina and the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Java.

Size:
These birds are 20-23,5 cm long and weigh 47-67 g.

Habitat:
The orange-headed thrush is mostly found in the understorey of both deciduous and evergreen, moist tropical forests, also using dry tropical forests, secondary forests, bamboo thickets, rivers and streams, plantations and rural gardens. They occur at altitudes of 250-2.300 m.

Diet:
They feed on termites and other insects, slugs, snails, leaches, earthworms, berries, fruits and grass seeds.

Breeding:
Orange-headed thrushes breedin April-October. The nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a wide but shallow cup, made of twigs, ferns and rootlets, and lined with leaves, moss and conifer needles. It is placed in a small tree or scrub, up to 4,5 m above the ground. The female lays 3-5 cream, pale blue, pale grey or pale green eggs with lilac and reddish-brown blotches and spots. The eggs are incubated for 13-14 days and the chicks fledge 12 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as uncommon and scarce to locally common. The species is suspected to be experiencing an ongoing decline, owing to high trapping pressure for the cage bird trade and continuing habitat loss.