Pale Thrush
Turdus pallidus
Although not actually pale, this brownish songbird is one of the plainer thrushes in its range. Found in areas of open woodland and scrubland; less tied to extensive forests than other thrushes, particularly in the winter, when it may often be found near reedbeds and in thickets. Sexes similar, both earthen-brown above, paler below, with grayish head, but male has darker ash-gray face, female a dingy white throat. White tail corners obvious in flight.
Identification
It is 23 cm long. The feet are pale pinkish-brown and the bill is grey above and yellow below. The male is brown above with a blue-grey head and throat. The underparts are pale brown, darker on the flanks and whitish on the belly and undertail-coverts. The flight feathers of the wing are dark grey and the underwing-coverts are grey or white. The tail is dark grey with white tips to the outer feathers. The female is similar to the male but duller with a browner head and pale throat.<p>It has harsh chuck-chuck and see-ip calls and a bubbling alarm call.
Taxonomy
The pale thrush was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the thrushes in the genus Turdus and coined the binomial name Turdus pallidus. The scientific name comes from Latin Turdus meaning "thrush" and pallidus meaning "pallid" or "pale". Gmelin based his account on the "Pale thrush" that had been described in 1783 by the English ornithologist John Latham in his multi-volume work A General Synopsis of Birds. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
- Scientific name
- Turdus pallidus
- Authority
- Gmelin, JF, 1789
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Turdus
Range and habitat
It breeds in south-east Siberia, north-east China and Korea and may breed in Japan, especially on Tsushima Island. It is largely migratory, wintering in southern and central Japan, South Korea and southern China, occasionally reaching as far as Yunnan, Taiwan and the Philippines. It inhabits forests, scrub, gardens and parks. It is a shy bird which keeps to cover. It can occur in large flocks on migration, particularly where there are berries.
- Breeding range
- PAL : se Russia, ne China and the Korea Pen.
- Non-breeding range
- Japan, Taiwan and se China
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Abyssinian Owl
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A medium-sized owl with prominent ear tufts. The orange eyes are set in a brown facial disc. The breast is heavily streaked, and the belly barred. Found very locally in montane habitats including forest, heath, and sometimes open country. Similar to Spotted Eagle-Owl, but slightly smaller, slimmer, and browner, with longer ear tufts. Somewhat like Grayish Eagle-Owl, but with orange eyes. The call is a long, deep hoot.
Bamboo Warbler
Locustella alfredi
Mid-sized warbler with a long tail. Dark brown overall, with a white throat and pale eye-line. Found very locally in middle-elevation habitats with a dense ground cover, including bamboo, forest, marsh, and lush grassy areas. Rare species that is not often seen. Most likely to be detected and identified by its distinctive song: a ratcheting up-and-down “dee-ka dee-ka dee-ka…” series which can last for several seconds. Very similar to Evergreen-forest Warbler, and best distinguished by its different song.
Planalto Slaty-Antshrike
Thamnophilus pelzelni
Small antshrike found in the lower and middle levels of dry forests and at the edge of humid forests. Males are gray overall with a black crown, and white-spotted black wings and tail. Females have a rusty crown, back, and tail, are buff below with white spots on the wings. The song is a loud and long series of around 20 descending notes that accelerate in pace. Doesn’t overlap in range with similar Sooretama Slaty-Antshrike and is told from Variable Antshrike by paler gray plumage in males and richer rufous color in females.
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