Orange Ground-Thrush
Geokichla gurneyi
Large, brown-backed, orange-breasted thrush with bold white wingbars. Found in the understory of middle- and high-elevation forest. Generally shy and scarce. The song is musical and typically thrush-like: a chatty and cheerful series of whistles. The call is a very thin, rising trill. Very similar to Abyssinian Ground-Thrush, but has a different pattern on the head: an olive crown, black bar below the eye, and a broken white eye ring.
Identification
Its length is 21–23 cm (8.3–9.1 in). The male weighs 44.5–64.5 g (1.57–2.28 oz), and the female weighs 48.5–76 g (1.71–2.68 oz). The upperparts are olive-brown; some parts have a grey tinge. The flight feathers are blackish-brown. There are two bars on the wing. The throat, breast and flanks are orange. The vent is white. There is an incomplete white eye-ring. The beak is dark. The legs are pink. The female is similar to the male but is less bright. The immature has mottled underparts.
Taxonomy
The orange ground thrush was described as Turdus gurneyi by Hartlaub in 1864. It is named after John Henry Gurney Sr., an English banker, politician and ornithologist. There are five subspecies: G. g. chuka found in central Kenya; G. g. raineyi found in southeastern Kenya; G. g. otomitra found in western Angola, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and northern Malawi; G. g. gurneyi found in eastern South Africa; and G. g. disruptans found in central Malawi to northeastern South Africa.
- Scientific name
- Geokichla gurneyi
- Authority
- (Hartlaub, 1864)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Geokichla
Range and habitat
Its habitat is montane forests, namely the afromontane of southeastern Africa. The size of its range is estimated at 5,370,000 km2 (2,070,000 sq mi). It is found at elevations of 500–2,500 m (1,600–8,200 ft).
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Behavior
The orange ground thrush is crepuscular. It is sedentary, but makes altitudinal movements in some regions. Its call is tsip and cureek. Its song is a series of several mellow and melodious notes. It feeds on the ground. Its diet is earthworms, insects, molluscs and fruits. The breeding season is January to May in Kenya, August to December in Tanzania, October to January in Malawi, and September to December in Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. In breeding pairs, the female has been observed to consistently weigh more than the male. The nest is a deep cup built of moss, twigs, leaves, roots and ferns. There are 2 to 3 turquoise-blue eggs. The eggs are incubated for 15 days. The fledging period is 18 to 20 days.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Eurasian Treecreeper
Certhia familiaris
An inconspicuous little bird (plumage blends well with bark) of woods, forests, and gardens with larger trees. Usually seen as singles or pairs, creeping along trunks and branches using its tail for support, like a mini-woodpecker. Probes in crevices for insects and spiders, and often spirals up then drops to low on the next tree and spirals up again. In areas where Short-toed Treecreeper also occurs, the two species are often not safely distinguished without considerable experience; look for “uneven steps” on the wing, whiter sides, and slightly shorter bill. Listen for high, thin “tseee”s and trills. Song is a lovely series of falling whistles, typically preceded by short trills and concluded with a flourishing rising whistle.
Horned Lark
Eremophila alpestris
Squat-looking bird with short legs and low-profile body. Adults are mostly sandy-brown with white belly, sometimes with blurry streaks on sides of breast. Look for bold head pattern, especially black mask and chest band. Throat color varies from yellow to white. Namesake horns on head are sometimes visible at close range. Juveniles can be confusing; they are messy-looking, grayish-brown with bold white spots and scallops on the upperparts. Note bill shape to help separate from sparrows or longspurs. Widespread in open habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Typically seen in flocks, sometimes mixed in with other open-ground songbirds, running along the ground in open areas with little to no vegetation. Listen for lovely jumbled song, as well as variable high-pitched calls when flying over.
Wedge-billed Woodcreeper
Glyphorynchus spirurus
Very small woodcreeper of evergreen forest in humid tropical lowlands and foothills. Creeps up trunks, often in spirals, picking at the bark for food, then flies low to another tree before hitching upwards again. Forages on fairly large trunks as well as slender trees. Often travels with mixed-species feeding flocks. Note the short, wedge-shaped bill and pale buffy breast spotting.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.