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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Nycticryphes semicollaris
Distinctive and attractive, but a rarely seen denizen of fresh and brackish wetlands, especially with shallow water and low to knee-high grasses; also found on lakeshores with taller reeds and rushes. Occasionally seen feeding quietly at edge of vegetation, but mostly seen when flushed from close range. Flies up silently with stiff flicking wingbeats and brief glides, long legs trailing, and drops back to cover usually not far away. Note bold white spots on wings and droop-tipped bill. Related to jacanas, not closely related to the typical snipe.
Manus Cicadabird
Edolisoma admiralitatis
Male is dark slate-gray with a black tail tip, black wing feathers, and a dark blackish mask. Female is gray-capped, cinnamon below with distinct barring, and brownish above. Found in forested areas from sea level to 1410 meters of elevation. Reported to give a downslurred “seeu” call.
Velvet-purple Coronet
Boissonneaua jardini
This medium-sized hummingbird looks all blackish in poor light, but at the right angle, it turns into a dazzling gem with a purple belly and crown, turquoise sides, and greenish wing coverts. Note bright white flashes in the tail. Like other coronets, it holds its wings up for a few seconds when it lands, exposing rich chestnut underwings. Sexes similar. Very restricted range in western Colombia and Ecuador, where it is generally uncommon in moist cloud forest and edges in the lower subtropical zone. Visits feeders.
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