Abyssinian Ground-Thrush
Geokichla piaggiae
Large, brown-backed, orange-breasted thrush with bold white wingbars. Found in the understory of montane forest. Generally shy and scarce. The song is a musical and typically thrush-like, a chatty and cheerful series of whistles and chuckles. The call is a very thin, rising trill. Very similar to Orange Ground-Thrush, but has a different pattern on the head: an orange crown, a plain face, and a complete white eye-ring.
Identification
The Abyssinian ground thrush is an attractive but rather secretive species. The adults are a deep rufous orange on the head and face with a distinct white eye ring, the orange colour becomes les rufous on the breast and flanks and the upperparts are olive brown except for the orange-brown rump and tail. On the folded wing it shows two prominent white wingbars from the tips to the coverts. Immature birds tend to be paler and duller than the adults. They measure 19–20 cm (7.5–7.9 in) in length and weigh 43–65 g (1.5–2.3 oz).<p>The contact call of the Abyssinian ground thrush is a high pitched "tseep", the song is a typical thrush like melodious series of whistled phrases rendered in Sinclair & Ryan as "chee-cheeleeroo-chruup".
Taxonomy
This thrush has been placed in the genera Turdus, then Zoothera but is now placed in the Geokichla. In addition the subspecies G.p. tanganjicae and G.p kilimensis have sometimes been regarded as separate species but they do not differ very much from the other subspecies in voice or morphology and most authorities lump them with Abyssinian ground thrush.
- Scientific name
- Geokichla piaggiae
- Authority
- (Bouvier, 1877)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Geokichla
Range and habitat
The Abyssinian ground thrush occurs in the undergrowth of evergreen montane forest in high rainfall regions between 1,800 and 3,300 m (5,900 and 10,800 ft), mostly above 2,500 m (8,200 ft), although occasionally found lower. It may also occur in bamboo forest, e.g. on Mount Kenya, or in exotic pine plantations in Ethiopia. There are six currently recognised subspecies of Abyssinian ground thrush and they are listed below with their distributions:
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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This antshrike is distinctive within its small range in eastern Panama and extreme northwest Colombia. Male is dark gray below and brown above with bold buffy spotting on wing coverts with a streaked back and crown. Female is similar, but brown below. Occurs in lowlands and foothills, where pairs skulk around in the understory of humid forest, often following a mixed-species flock. Listen for a rising series of piercing whistles.
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