Spectacled Thrush
Turdus nudigenis
A medium-sized, medium-brown denizen of open woodlands; found feeding both in the trees and on the ground. Best distinguished from similar Cocoa Thrush by its bold orange-yellow eyering and its somewhat pale bill. Song is a series of sweet up-slurred and down-slurred whistles. Most common calls, which are quite different from those of Cocoa Thrush, are an inflected catlike “mew-uh.”
Identification
The spectacled thrush is 23–24 cm (9.1–9.4 in) long and weighs 60 g (2.1 oz). It is plain olive-brown above and paler brown below. The throat is brown-streaked off-white, and the lower belly is whitish. It has a prominent yellow eye ring which gives rise to its English and scientific names.<p>There are two poorly defined subspecies, differing mainly in the darkness of the plumage. Sexes are similar, but young birds are flecked above and spotted below, and have a thinner eye ring.<p>The song is a musical warble, slower and lower pitched than that of the cocoa thrush (T. fumigatus), and it also produces a cat-like queeoow call and, when uncomfortable, emits a kereel.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Turdus nudigenis
- Authority
- Lafresnaye, 1848
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Turdus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The habitat of this large thrush is open woodland, forest clearings and cultivation. The bare-eyed thrush mainly feeds on or near the ground on fruit, berries and some insects and earthworms. It is a shy species, but on Trinidad and Tobago it is much tamer, and will come to feeders and take food from tables.<p>The nest is a lined bulky cup of twigs low in a tree. The two to three reddish-blotched deep-blue eggs are incubated by the female alone.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Palm Lorikeet
Vini palmarum
An entirely green lorikeet often seen in flight, with a long, pointed yellow-tipped tail and a small reddish patch on the chin. Bill and feet orange. Widespread but dependent on primary forest, intolerant of disturbed areas. No similar species occur in its range. Call is a high-pitched “tsit” or “tsee.”
Cocoa Woodcreeper
Xiphorhynchus susurrans
Warm brown bird with buffy streaks on head and breast; hitches up tree trunks. Generally longer tailed and longer billed than a woodpecker. Very similar to many other species of woodcreepers. Focus on bill: long, fairly thick, and almost straight; generally pale grayish with fleshy tones, but darker on top edge. Listen for song, a long series of clear whistled notes fading slightly at the end. Found in wooded habitats, often in more open forest, edge, or second growth.
Pale Thrush
Turdus pallidus
Although not actually pale, this brownish songbird is one of the plainer thrushes in its range. Found in areas of open woodland and scrubland; less tied to extensive forests than other thrushes, particularly in the winter, when it may often be found near reedbeds and in thickets. Sexes similar, both earthen-brown above, paler below, with grayish head, but male has darker ash-gray face, female a dingy white throat. White tail corners obvious in flight.
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