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
Black-crested Antshrike
Sakesphorus canadensis
A stunning antshrike, fairly common in open woodland and scrub in northern South America. Male has black head with white hind collar, white belly, brown back, and obvious white spotting on wing. Female is buffy overall with black tail, rufous crown, and buffy wingbars. Both sexes have a bushy crest, which is usually obvious. Some geographic variation across range: males in northern Colombia have grizzled white speckling on face; males in southern Venezuela and northern Brazil are much darker overall. Typically seen in pairs moving through the lower and middle levels; not particularly skulky.
White-winged Triller
Lalage tricolor
Small songbird with short, fine bill. Breeding males have black crown and back, white underparts, black wings with bold white wing panels, and black tail with white tip. In nonbreeding plumage crown and back brown, with pale-edged feathers in dark upperwing. Female similar to nonbreeding male. Inhabits lightly wooded areas, especially eucalypt, foraging in pairs or small flocks in the mid- to upper story. Song is a loud, clear series of notes that descend and accelerate into a trill.
Sharp-billed Canastero
Asthenes pyrrholeuca
Fairly common but easily overlooked in the Andes and southern lowlands, mainly in drier habitats with low scrubby bushes. Usually rather skulking; keeps low in bushes and creeps in vegetation, but often sings from atop a bush. Plumage rather plain brownish overall, suggesting a House Wren, but note very long, loosely held tail with rusty sides. Compare with Cordilleran Canastero of more open habitats and also note distinctive voices.
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