Pantepui Thrush
Turdus murinus
A drab thrush, found only in tepuis. Nondescript grayish-brown with a pale whitish belly. Note pale throat with indistinct streaking. Sexes similar. Usually seen singly or in pairs. Song is a typical thrushlike series of musical phrases. Similar to Campina Thrush but separated by browner body, weaker throat pattern, and different habitat.
Taxonomy
The species T. murinus was first described by British zoologist Osbert Salvin in 1885. Its type locality is Merumé, Mount Roraima, Guyana at 3,500–5,000 feet (1,100–1,500 m).<p>The generic name Turdus is derived from Latin, meaning "thrush", and the species name murinus comes from the Latin term for "mouse-grey".<p>Turdus murinus and Turdus arthuri were originally considered subspecies of Turdus ignobilis, until the two species were determined to have significant genetic distance from T. ignobilis through studies in molecular phylogenetics concluded in the 2010s. Formal recognition of a separation of the species was made by the American Ornithological Society in 2019.
- Scientific name
- Turdus murinus
- Authority
- Salvin, 1885
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Turdus
Range and habitat
The species occurs in the foothills of southern Guyana, Venezuela, and northern Brazil. It inhabits a variety of habitats including clearings, savannas with gallery woodland, cerrado, humid forest borders, coffee plantations, and various other habitats under anthropogenic influence. It has been observed to prefer habitats at the borders of tropical moist forests.
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Banded Cotinga
Cotinga maculata
Jaw-droppingly beautiful bird. Males are cobalt-blue and purple, while females are dusky brown above with white scaling and buff below with dark spots. Females are similar to other cotingas, but there is no overlap in range. Found in the canopy of disappearing patches of humid forest in eastern Brazil. Usually silent.
White-crowned Hornbill
Berenicornis comatus
Eccentric-looking hornbill with a bushy, upright white crest and a white tail. Male is white from the head down to the belly; female is predominantly black, with only a white crest. Pale wing edges revealed only when in flight. Unlike many other hornbills in its range, forages primarily at lower levels in the forest, frequently descending down to the ground. Social; forages in flocks. Gives rather soothing, owl-like hooting coos.
Chinese Babax
Pterorhinus lanceolatus
A large and boldly-marked but secretive babbler of hilly and mountainous regions, where it sticks to dense shrubbery. Note white eyes, streaky brown plumage, and dark chestnut “moustache” stripes on each side of the throat. Pops into the open to sing, but timid and soon disappears back into the undergrowth.
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