Kurrichane Thrush
Turdus libonyana
A gray-olive thrush with a white belly, buff-orange flanks, a distinctive bright orange bill and eye-ring, and a pale throat with a broad black moustache. Pairs occupy a variety of broadleaf woodland, thornveld, and open savanna, where it runs on the ground foraging for plant and animal matter. It gives a series of varied fluting notes and whistles, and is known to imitate the calls of other birds. The similar African Thrush also has a pale belly and occupies savanna, but its bill is yellow, not orange.
Identification
The Kurrichane thrush is 21 to 23 cm (8.3–9.1 in) long and weighs around 46–82 g (1.6–2.9 oz). The head, upperparts and breast are grey, and the belly is whitish with orange flanks. The throat is white with black streaks on the side. The bill is orange, tending to a paler yellow at the base. The legs tend to vary in colour. Both sexes are alike.
Taxonomy
The Kurrichane thrush was described in 1836 by the zoologist Andrew Smith, on the basis of a specimen collected in the Transvaal in South Africa. It was originally assigned to the defunct genus Merula. The species is a sister species to the Comoro thrush.<p>The specific epithet of the Kurrichane thrush, libonyana, is derived from the Tswana name for the red-billed buffalo weaver, Lebonyana. It was given by mistake to this species, possibly because it also has a reddish bill. Its common name is derived from a corruption of Kaditshwene (rendered as 'Kurrichane'), a former town in northern South Africa where the original specimen was collected.
- Scientific name
- Turdus libonyana
- Authority
- (Smith, A, 1836)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Turdus
Range and habitat
It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Large black and yellow toucan with a yellow stripe on the top of the bill. Inhabits lowland and foothill rainforest west of the Andes. Similar to chestnut-mandibled races of Yellow-throated Toucan, but with black on the lower part of the bill. This can be hard to distinguish in poor light, so voice is often the best way to ID: it makes a rasping or croaking call instead of a yelp.
Chestnut-capped Flycatcher
Erythrocercus mccallii
A small, active flycatcher often found in small flocks or mixed-species groups in the understory of forests or patches of trees, constantly calling and moving its tail. Shows a reddish face, cap, and small crest, a buffy throat, and a reddish rump and tail. Shape is reminiscent of African Blue Flycatcher, African Crested-Flycatcher, and related species, but note Chestnut-capped Flycatcher’s distinctive patterning and vocals. Song is a series of short, high-pitched phrases with variable spacing between notes, and the calls are short “tsip” or “seep” notes.
Chucao Tapaculo
Scelorchilus rubecula
Fairly common to common in native temperate forest, adjacent shrubbery, wooded patches, and thickets along rivers and streams, especially with bamboo. Loud ringing song is commonly heard, but calling birds can be elusive. At other times can be confiding, walking out at close range as if curious, usually with tail cocked. Plumage distinctive, with bright rusty eyebrow, throat, and breast. Compare with the larger and fatter Chestnut-throated Huet-huet.
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