Olive Thrush
Turdus olivaceus
A typical thrush with olive-brown upperparts and rufous underparts. Its taxonomic status remains under review, and it is most easily identified by range. In the north it is primarily a species of montane forest and forest edge, but farther south it occurs in gardens, woodland, plantations, and heath. It has a varied song, and often reveals its presence with typical thrush “chk-chk” or thin “tseeep” calls. An understory specialist that sometimes skulks, but at other times can be quite bold. Most similar thrushes do not overlap geographically. One that does is the Karoo Thrush, which differs from Olive Thrush in its gray (not rufous) flanks; its yellow-orange (not brown) eye-ring; its yellow (not dark brown) base to the upper mandible of the bill; and its less streaky throat.
Identification
It can reach a length of 24 cm (9.4 in) and a weight of at least 101 g (3.6 oz). The tail and the upperparts are coloured dull olive brown. The belly is white and the rest of the underparts have an orange hue. The throat is speckled with white spots. It can be found in evergreen forests, parks, and gardens.<p>The male's song is a mix of fluted, whistled and trilled phrases, which varies geographically. It occasionally mimics other birds.
Taxonomy
In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the olive thrush in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. He used the French name Le merle olive du Cap de Bonne Espérance and the Latin Merula Olivacea Capitis Bonae Spei. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. One of these was the olive thrush. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Turdus olivaceus and cited Brisson's work.<p>Six subspecies are recognised:<p>The subspecies differ mainly in the relative amounts of white, orange and brown on the underparts. Several additional populations of African Turdus thrushes were previously included within this group, but are now most commonly treated as separate species in their own right including the Karoo thrush (Turdus smithi), the Somali thrush (Turdus ludoviciae) and the more northerly Abyssinian thrush, also known as the Northern olive thrush and Mountain thrush, T. abyssinicus, itself also sometimes considered as several separate species (Abyssinian thrush, T. abyssinicus, Usambara thrush, T. roehli and Taita thrush Turdus helleri).
- Scientific name
- Turdus olivaceus
- Authority
- Linnaeus, 1766
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Turdus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Behavior
The female builds a cup nest, typically 2 to 9 m (6 ft 7 in to 29 ft 6 in) above the ground in a tree or hedge. The 1–3 (usually 2) eggs are incubated solely by the female for 14–15 days to hatching, and the chicks fledge in another 16 days.<p>Its diet consists of earthworms, insects, snails, fruits, and spiders.
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
White-bellied Seedsnipe
Attagis malouinus
Chunky, generally scarce, rather grouselike bird of bleak moorland, bogs, and rocky slopes above timberline; in winter, sometimes descends to lowland Patagonian steppe, when it can be seen along roadsides. Found in pairs or small groups. Lacey “chainmail” pattern to upperparts is beautifully cryptic, and birds sometimes freeze when alarmed making them more difficult to see. No similar species in range; note the short stout bill and contrasting snowy-white belly. Flight strong and fast; flushes with loud shrieking choruses.
Purple-rumped Sunbird
Leptocoma zeylonica
A colorful sunbird; the male has a green metallic crown and shoulder patch, a dark brown body with purple a rump, a purple throat, lemon-yellow underparts, and whitish flanks. The female is light grayish-brown above and pale yellow below. The female can be separated from female Purple Sunbirds by their grayish-white (not yellow) throat. Often seen hopping and hovering around flowers, picking up insects, and probing flowers for nectar. The song is a twittering “tityou, tityou, trritt, tityou.”
Plushcap
Catamblyrhynchus diadema
This distinctive little sprite is uncommon in the understory of the upper subtropical and temperate zones in the Andes, especially around patches of bamboo. It is rich rufous below and steely gray above with a shining yellow forecrown. Also note the stout dark bill. Sexes similar. Usually found in pairs or small groups, almost always following a mixed-species flock.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.