Chestnut-bellied Thrush
Turdus fulviventris
Handsome cloud forest thrush found mainly along the east slope of the Andes. Visitors from North America may be struck by its similarity to American Robin. No other thrush in range has a chestnut belly. Adults also have a dark hood, yellow bill, and yellow eyering. Young birds lack the dark hood and have mottled underparts. Uncommon and usually encountered feeding in fruiting trees; rarely comes down to the ground.
Identification
The chestnut-bellied thrush grows to a length of about 25 cm (10 in). The adult male has a black head, a black throat with some white streaking, a dark grey back and dusky wings and tail. The upper breast is pale grey and the lower breast and belly are rufous. The beak is yellow, the narrow eye ring is orange and the legs are dull yellow. The female is similar in appearance but rather duller. It is the only thrush in the genus Turdus with a rufous belly to be found in the northern Andes. The song is not often uttered, but consists of a series of disjointed phrases with some buzzes and short trills in between.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Turdus fulviventris
- Authority
- Sclater, PL, 1858
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Turdus
Range and habitat
The chestnut-bellied thrush is native to northwestern South America. Its range includes western Venezuela, western Colombia, Ecuador, northern Peru and northwestern Bolivia. Its habitat is woodland and the canopy and edges of montane forests at altitudes between 1,400 and 2,600 m (4,600 and 8,500 ft).
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
This thrush often occurs singly and may also be seen in pairs, but does not usually join mixed flocks. Males may sing from high in the canopy, and both sexes often forage among the twigs and branches. It sometimes descends to ground level, particularly besides roads and trails, and turns over the leaf litter, searching for invertebrates, and may remain in one area for some time.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Olive Bushshrike
Chlorophoneus olivaceus
A bushshrike that has two color morphs: an easily identified “buff morph” that has a pink-fawn chest and throat, and an “olive morph” that has an olive crown and yellow-orange underparts. Females are duller than males, with less distinct facial masks. Singles and pairs often join mixed-species flocks in coastal and montane forest, thickets, and dense woodland. The species hops and creeps stealthily in the canopy and mid-canopy, foraging for insects and fruit. It typically sings a distinctive series of 10 to 15 short musical notes, and also gives a strident alarm call and metallic croaking notes.
Blue-crowned Laughingthrush
Pterorhinus courtoisi
Stunning laughingthrush with a highly restricted distribution: limited to Wuyuan County in China’s Jiangxi Province. Brown-backed and yellow-bellied, with a black bandit’s mask and a bright blue crown lined with silver on the forehead. Breeds in preserved stands of very tall old trees near rural villages; disperses into mixed hill forest afterwards, where it tends to be more difficult to find. A colonial nester, unusual amongst laughingthrushes. Flock members communicate with one with one another with noisy high-pitched churrs.
Rufous-bellied Euphonia
Euphonia rufiventris
Small finch-like bird of lowland rainforest. Male is glossy navy blue with a deep red-orange belly, fairly distinctive in its range; female is golden with gray wash on the head, back, and belly, and orange-red undertail coverts. Females similar to females of Orange-bellied Euphonia, but usually have deeper orange or red undertail coverts (not yellow). Found in humid forests, where often one of the most common euphonias. Frequently heard giving a rapid, deep chatter “chree-chree-chree-chree.”
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