Russet-tailed Thrush
Zoothera heinei
Large thrush, adult rich brown marbled with dark marks above, pale with black scaly marks below. Larger Bassian Thrush has smaller-appearing bill, is more contrastingly marked above. In flight, Russet-tailed shows white in tail corners, absent in Bassian. The smaller wingbar has more prominent pale tips in adult Russet-tailed than Bassian. Inhabits wet forests, where it forages in leaf litter. Song a distinctive, thin “whee-doo,” falling in pitch, very unlike Bassian.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Zoothera heinei
- Authority
- (Cabanis, 1851)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Zoothera
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Channel-billed Cuckoo
Scythrops novaehollandiae
Gigantic cuckoo, with a red eyering and enormous pale beak. A mostly pale gray bird, with darker wings and tail. Flies around in the early morning calling strongly, and typically roosts in fruiting fig trees. Lays its eggs in the nests of other species, especially Torresian Crow and Pied Currawong. Spends the middle of the year in eastern Indonesia and New Guinea. Migrates to northern and eastern Australia over the austral summer.
Brown-bellied Swallow
Orochelidon murina
A rather dark swallow of the Andean highlands from Venezuela to Bolivia. Head and back are dark iridescent blue. Throat and belly are dusty grayish-brown. Tail is relatively long with a deep fork. Flocks are found over forest and clearings, especially around nesting sites on cliffs and landslides. Occurs from 2,500-4,000m, often higher than Blue-and-white Swallow but plenty of overlap.
Northern Slaty Brushfinch
Atlapetes schistaceus
Mostly gray brushfinch found from Venezuela to Ecuador. Bold head pattern with rufous crown, white throat, and black mustache stripe. Note also small white patch at base of primaries. A high elevation species, occurring in scrubby habitats from around 2,500-3,400m. Pairs usually forage at lower levels, sometimes accompanying a mixed-species flock. Relatively simple song usually heard only at dawn. More often heard is the complex descending chatter given as two birds approach each other.
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