Olive thrush

Turdus olivaceus

Photo by Stefan Helming (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
olive thrush (en); tordo-oliváceo (pt); merlo olivâtre (fr); zorzal oliváceo (es); kapdrossel (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Turdidae


Range:
This African species is found from Zimbabwe and Mozambique down to eastern South Africa.


Size:
The olive thrush is 24 cm long and weighs 80-110 g.


Habitat:
They are mostly found in evergreen forests and along forest edges, but can also be found in scrublands, rural gardens and orchards, urban areas and alien Acacia thickets.


Diet:
These birds eat both fruits and various invertebrates including earthworms, snails, slugs, spiders, beetles, moths and caterpillars, glow-worms and bivalves.


Breeding:
Olive thrushes breed in August-December. The female builds the nest alone, a large, moist bowl made of grass stems, twigs, earth, wet leaves and moss, lined with plant stems, fibres, tendrils and bracken. It is placed in a fork in a tree branch, 3-16 m above ground. There the female lays 2-3 blue eggs, which she incubates alone for 14-16 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 16 days after hatching, but only become fully independent 2 months later.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as generally common and sometimes abundant. The population trend is difficult to determine because of uncertainty over the impacts of habitat modification on population sizes, but they are known to adapted extremely well to the introduction of man-made habitats.

Blue whistling-thrush

Myophonus caeruleus

Photo by J.J. Harrison (Wikipedia)

Common name:
blue whistling-thrush (en); tordo-assobiador-azul (pt); arrenga siffleur (fr); arrenga común (es); purpurpfeifdrossel (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Turdidae


Range:
This species is patchily distributed in central and south-eastern Asia, being found from India to central and eastern China and south to Indonesia.


Size:
These birds are 29-35 cm long and weigh 135-230 g.


Habitat:
The blue whistling-thrush breeds in both temperate deciduous forests and in tropical and sub-tropical moist forests, and sometime also in open scrublands with a scattered large trees, at altitudes of 1.000-4.000 m. Outside the breeding season they move to lower altitudes and can be found in other habitats including mangroves, open rocky grounds, agricultural areas and even parks and gardens.


Diet:
They eat various invertebrates including water beetles, ants, grasshoppers, slugs, snails, earthworms and small crustaceans.


Breeding:
Blue whistling-thrushes build a bulky cup-nest using moss and muddy rootlets woven with fine grass, leaf stems and tendrils, and lined with mud and horsehair. The nest is usually placed on a cliff ledge, in an overhanging bank, or even in a cave or crevice by running water, but also in tree cavities or under bridges. The female lays 3-4 pale eggs with dark marking, which are incubated by both parents for 16-18 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 15-20 days after hatching. Each pair usually raises 2 broods per year.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be common but thinly spread. The population trend is difficult to determine because of uncertainty over the impacts of habitat modification on population sizes, but overall the blue whistling-thrush is not considered threatened at present.

White-browed robin-chat

Cossypha heuglini

Photo by Ian White (Flickriver)

Common name:

white-browed robin-chat (en); pisco-de-Heuglin (pt); cossyphe de Heuglin (fr); cosifa de Heuglin (es); weißbrauenrötel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Turdidae

Range:

This African species is found from Chad and Sudan through southern D.R. Congo, Tanzania, Angola and Zambia, and down to South Africa.

Size:

These birds are 20 cm long and weigh 29-44 g.

Habitat:

White-browed robin-chats are mostly found in riverine forests with patchy canopy and dense evergreen thickets, shady trees and scrubs along lakesides and Acacia woodlands on flood plains. They also occupy thickets along the borders of open habitats, as well as suburban parks and gardens.

Diet:

These birds feed on insects and other invertebrates, especially beetles, ants, wasps, caterpillars, moths, grasshoppers, crickets, flies, spiders and centipedes.

Breeding:

White-browed robin-chats breed in August-January. They are monogamous and each pair builds an open nest cup, made of dead leaves and twigs and lined with rootlets, leaf midribs or very fine twigs. The nest is typically placed in a hollow in a tree trunk, among the branches of a scrub or among roots under the overhang of a riverbank. There the female lays 2-3 eggs, which she incubates alone for 14-17 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 13-17 days after hatching, but only become fully independent 4 weeks later.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is described as very common throughout its range except at the fringes of this range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Scaly thrush

Zoothera dauma

(Photo from Passeriformes-Turdidae)

Common name:

scaly thrush (en); tordo-dourado (pt); grive dama (fr); zorzal dorado (es); erddrossel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Turdidae

Range:

This Asian species breeds across Siberia and the Himalayas, wintering in northern India and Bangladesh, Myanmar, southern China and southern Japan. There are also some resident populations in south-west India and in the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumbawa.

Size:

The scaly thrush is 26-31 cm long and weighs up to 140 g.

Habitat:

These birds are mostly found breeding in wet taiga forests, but are also found in humid tropical rainforests and eucalyptus woodlands with underbrush. They winter in open drier areas, secondary forests and large gardens.

Diet:

Scaly thrushes are omnivorous, eating a wide variety of insects, earthworms, molluscs and berries.

Breeding:

These birds breed in June-February. The nest is a large bowl-shaped structure, made with bark strips, twigs, stems, grasses and leaves. It is lined with moss, fine grass and rootlets, and placed in a fork in a tree or branch, in a tree crevice or in a depression on the top of a stump, up to 15 m above the ground. There the female lays 2-4 dull green eggs which are incubated by both parents for about 14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 14 days after hatching. Each pair typically produces 2 broods per season.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

The scaly thrush has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, the species is described as uncommon to fairly common across much of its range. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and degradation. Deforestation and the introduction of invasive alien predators are the two main threats to this species.

Spot-winged thrush

Zoothera spiloptera

Photo by Mapalagama Premasiri (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:

spot-winged thrush (en); tordo-do-Ceilão (pt); grive à ailes tachetées (fr); zorzal de alas moteadas (es); Ceylondrossel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Turdidae

Range:

This species is endemic to Sri Lanka.

Size:

They are 21-23 cm long and weigh 70 g.

Habitat:

Spot-winged thrushes are found in damp, evergreen forests, mainly in wet lowlands. They also occur in secondary scrub, plantations and occasionally gardens adjacent to forest. They are usually founs in lowland areas, may be present up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:

They motsly forage for terrestrial invertebrates on the ground, but will also sally for insects in the air. Occasionally, they also eat berries.

Breeding:

The spot-winged thrush breeds in March-May, and in July-January. The nest consists of a cup made of dead and decaying leaves and stems, lined with fine rootlets and leaf midribs. The nest is generally placed in a low exposed fork of a sapling or small tree, 1-3 m above the ground. The female lays 2-3 buff or bluish-green eggs which are incubated by both parents for 12-15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge about 14 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)

This species has a very restricted breeding range, but it is locally common within that range. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing destruction and fragmentation of their forest habitats, mostly through excessive gathering of fuelwood, clearance for permanent agriculture, shifting cultivation, fire, urbanisation and logging. The area of closed-canopy forest is Sri Lanka has already declined by 50-60%, and this decline is likely to continue.

Redwing

Turdus iliacus

Photo by Andreas Trepte (Wikipedia)

Common name:

redwing (en); tordo-ruivo (pt); grive mauvis (fr); zorzal alirrojo (es); rotdrossel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Turdidae

Range:

These birds breed from Iceland and the Faroe Islands, across northern and eastern Europe, and into Siberia to the Altai region and the lower Kolyma river, in Russia. They migrate south to winter in western and southern Europe, North Africa, around the Black and Caspian seas, and into south-west Asia.

Size:

Redwings are 20-24 cm long and have a wingspan of 33-35 cm. They weigh 55-75 g.

Habitat:

During the breeding season these birds are found in a wide range of habitats, including open forest margins, forest clearings, shoreline thickets, tundra willow Salix and birch Betula scrub, parks, gardens, and rocky areas. They winter in open woodland, fields, hedgerows, orchards, gardens and scrub thickets, particularly where berry-bearing bushes and grassy areas occur in close proximity.

Diet:

The redwing mostly eats invertebrates, including ants, beetles , crickets, earthworms, grasshoppers, flies, milipeds , snails, slugs and spiders. During autumn and winter their diet is often supplemented with fruits and berries, namely ivy, holly, juniper, buckthorn, currants Ribes, bramble, elder, cherry, elderberry, hawthorn, rowan, madder, apples, pears, olives, wild strawberries and even certain roots.

Breeding:

They breed in April-July. The nest consists of a bulky cup of grass, moss and twigs, bound together with mud and vegetation and lined with grass and leaves. The nest may be placed on trees, scrubs, on the ground in thick vegetation, on tree stumps, in tree hollows, or even on buildings. There the female lays 4-6 bluish-green eggs with brown blotches, which are incubated for 12-14 days. The chicks fledge 12-15 days after hatching, but continue to depend on their parents for another 2 weeks. Each pair may produce 1-2 clutches per year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and a global population of 65-130 million individuals. The population may be facing a moderate decline, at least in Europe, but it is not threatened at present.

Blue rock-thrush

Monticola solitarius

Common name:

blue rock-thrush (en); melro-azul (pt); merle bleu (fr); roquero solitario (es); blaumerle (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Turdidae

Range:

The blue rock-thrush is a widespread species, with breeding and non-breeding populations spanning from north-west Africa, throughout southern Europe from Portugal and Spain to Turkey, the Arabian Peninsula, northern India and the central Himalayas to China, Mongolia, Japan and south-east Asia.

Size:

These birds are 20-23 cm long and have a wingspan of 33-37 cm. They weigh up to 70 g.

Habitat:

The blue rock-thrush breeds mainly on cliffs, in rocky valleys and gorges, on crags, outcrops, sea cliffs and rocky coasts. It also breeds occasionally in ruins, quarries, isolated stone buildings and on houses, churches, castles and monuments. They are found from sea level up to an altitude of 4.200 m.

Diet:

They feeds on a wide variety of prey species, including invertebrates such as grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, beetles, spiders, snails and earthworms, but also small vertebrates such as geckos, snakes, frogs and mice. During the winter, they will also take fruits, berries and seeds.

Breeding:

The breeding season of the blue rock-thrush varies throughout its range, with some populations starting to breed as early as January and others finishing as late as July. They build a loosely constructed, shallow cup-like nest of coarse dry grass, moss and leaves, which is lined with soft grass, feathers and plant down. It is usually placed 2-5 m above the ground, under overhanging rocks or in crevices on cliffs. There the female lays 3-6 eggs blue or red speckled eggs, which are incubated for 12-15 days. The chicks fledge 15-18 days after hatching, but remain dependent on the adult for another 2 weeks.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has an extremely large breeding range and a global population estimated at 700.000-3.000.000 million individuals. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Hermit thrush

Catharus guttatus

Common name:

hermit thrush (en); sabia-eremita (pt); grive solitaire (fr); zorzal ermitaño (es); einsiedlerdrossel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Turdidae

Range:

This North American species breeds in the western and northeastern United States into Alaska and in much of the southern half of Canada. They winter further south, along the western coast of the United States, in the south-eastern and southern United States and into Mexico.

Size:

Hermit thrushes are 14-18 cm long and have a wingspan of 25-29 cm. They weigh 23-37 g.

Habitat:

These birds breeds in the interior of dense deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forest, favoring internal forest edges like ponds, logging roads, and utility cuts. They winter in moist and dense cover of woody growth, forests, open woodlands, and in the northern part of range especially in ravines and sheltered sites.

Diet:

During the breeding season hermit thrushes eat insects and their larvae, spiders, earthworms, snails and small salamanders. In autumn and winter they mostly eat fruits and berries.

Breeding:

These birds breed in April-August. Males establish and defend breeding territories and once a female is accepted into the territory, she begins building the nest. The nest is an open cup built with a variety of vegetable material including grass, leaves, mosses, and lichens. The nest is usually placed on the ground beneath live woody and non-woody plants or in open areas. There the female lays 3-6 pale blue to blue-green eggs with a few brown flecks. The female incubates the eggs alone for 12 days and during this period she is fed by the male. The female feeds the nestlings with food brought to the nest by the male until fledging, which takes place 10-15 days after hatching. Each pair may lay up to 3 broods per season.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

Hermit thrushes have an extremely large breeding range and a global population of 60 million individuals. This species had undergone a large increase of roughly 15% per decade over the last 40 years, so it it not threatened at present.

Mistle thrush

Turdus viscivorus

Photo by Enrique Calvo (Photo)

Common name:

mistle thrush (en); tordoveia (pt); grive draine (fr); zorzal charlo (es); misteldrossel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Turdidae

Range:

The mistle thrush is found throughout Europe, and through Russia and the Midle East, into the central Asian countries and all the way to China and Mongolia. They are present in the whole Mediterranean basin, both in southern Europe and northern Africa in Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.

Size:

This large thrush is 27 cm long and has a wingspan of 42-48 cm. They weigh 110-140 g.

Habitat:

The mistle thrush is found in various woodland habitats, from sub-tropical forests, through the temperate forests and into the northern boreal forests. They are also found in scrubland and cultivated land and even in gardens and parks.

Diet:

This omnivorous species eats insects, worms, slugs, snails and various berries. They may occasionally eat small reptiles.

Breeding:

This early breeder starts laying eggs already in February-March. They nest in trees, the female builds a cup-shaped nest lined with grasses, mosses, roots and leaves. The clutch is composed of 3-6 glossy pale blue eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for 12-15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents until fledging, 16-20 days after hatching. Each pair may produce two broods per year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

With an extremely wide breeding range and a population estimated at 12.200.000-44.400.000 individuals, the mistle thrush is not threatened at present.