White's Thrush
Zoothera aurea
Burly thrush with brownish upperparts and white underparts; covered with black-edged scaling all over the body. In flight, two bright white stripes visible on black underwings. Feeds solitarily on the ground, usually in or near dense cover; walks instead of hops, moving in a comically jerky manner. Often very approachable. Prefers mid- to high-elevation forests for breeding but regularly found in lowland parks and forests in winter. Compare Scaly Thrush. Song is a high, fluty whistle which fades in and out in a distinctly unbird-like manner.
Identification
The sexes are similar, 27–31 cm long, with black scaling on a paler white or yellowish background. The most striking identification feature in flight is the black band on the white underwings, a feature shared with Siberian thrush. The male has a song which is a loud, far-carrying mechanical whistle, with 5–10 second pauses between each one second long phrase twee...tuuu....tuuu....tuuu.<p>It was previously considered a subspecies of the scaly thrush.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Zoothera aurea
- Authority
- (Holandre, 1825)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Zoothera
Range and habitat
It breeds in wet coniferous taiga, mainly in the eastern Palearctic in Siberia to Manchuria, Korea and Japan. Northern races are strongly migratory, with most birds moving to southeastern Asia during the winter. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.
- Breeding range
- PAL : e
- Non-breeding range
- Taiwan and se Asia
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black Coucal
Centropus grillii
Small coucal of marshes, swamps, and wet grassland. Distinctive in breeding plumage: black with a rufous wing. In non-breeding plumage, buffy and streaked. Skulks in the undergrowth, occasionally emerging to sit on an exposed perch. Vocalizations are a two part “kuu-kuk” and a descending and accelerating series of “tow” notes. In non-breeding plumage, separated from White-browed and immature Senegal coucals by its slightly smaller size and lack of a white eye stripe.
Ochre-breasted Pipit
Anthus nattereri
Fairly distinctive for a pipit: blackish-brown above, including the wings, with bright golden feather edgings giving it a boldly streaked appearance. The chest and flanks are buff and lightly streaked. Look for the buffy-yellow eyebrow. Mostly encountered in well-preserved natural grasslands, favoring short grass areas that have regenerated after fires. Gives a series of sharp twittering notes ending with a slurred “eeeeeeeur.”
Forty-spotted Pardalote
Pardalotus quadragintus
Tiny greenish bird restricted to a small range in Tasmania. Primarily greenish-gray. Black wings with obvious white spots. Adults have yellow face, which is absent in juveniles. Take care to distinguish from juvenile Spotted Pardalote (which is more boldly marked on the back and more spotted on the crown). Only found in areas of dry forest in Tasmania. Forages almost exclusively on manna gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) and is typically only present where there are trees old enough to have hollows for nesting.
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