White-chinned Thrush
Turdus aurantius
A dark plumaged ground feeder that prefers wooded areas but also occurs in gardens and plantations. Its most distinctive features are its bright orange bill and legs. The namesake white chin is inconspicuous. Also note the white slash, which is usually visible, on the upper wing. Superficially similar to the shier White-eyed Thrush, which has a white eye plus a dark bill and legs. Most common call is a slightly shrill, up-slurred “p’weet,” sometimes given as a longer “p’ooo-weeet.” Song is a series of varied sweet notes given singly or as couplets.
Identification
The white-chinned thrush in 24–26.5 cm (9.4–10.4 in) in overall length. The sexes are similar in appearance. The face, crown and nape are black. The rest of the upperparts dark grey. Two small broad white edges to the innermost greater coverts form a small white wing patch. The chin is whitish but the rest of the underparts are mid-grey with the palest feathers on the belly. The bill, legs and feet are orange. The eye is brown.<p>The only other thrush present in Jamaica is the white-eyed thrush. This lacks the white wing patch and the orange bill.<p>Local names for the bird in Jamaica include hopping dick and chick-me-chick.
Taxonomy
The white-chinned thrush was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the thrushes in the genus Turdus and coined the binomial name Turdus aurantius. The scientific name comes from Latin Turdus meaning "thrush" and Modern Latin aurantius meaning "orange-coloured". Gmelin based his account on those by earlier authors. His list included John Ray in 1713, Hans Sloane in 1725, Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760, Comte de Buffon in 1775 and John Latham in 1783. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
- Scientific name
- Turdus aurantius
- Authority
- Gmelin, JF, 1789
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Turdus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Breeding occurs between May and August. The nest is placed in a shrub and is an untidy cup of leaves, fibres and twigs that is lined with finer material. The clutch is 2-4 eggs which are dull whitish or pale green background with reddish brown spots. They are incubated by the female for 16 days. Two broods are usually raised.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Thamnophilus pelzelni
Small antshrike found in the lower and middle levels of dry forests and at the edge of humid forests. Males are gray overall with a black crown, and white-spotted black wings and tail. Females have a rusty crown, back, and tail, are buff below with white spots on the wings. The song is a loud and long series of around 20 descending notes that accelerate in pace. Doesn’t overlap in range with similar Sooretama Slaty-Antshrike and is told from Variable Antshrike by paler gray plumage in males and richer rufous color in females.
Masked Gnatcatcher
Polioptila dumicola
Bold patterned gnatcatcher usually found in the canopy of savanna, open woodlands, and forest edges where it may join mixed-species flocks. Largely grayish overall with a white-edged black tail. Males have a black mask while females have a small black ear patch on a generally pale face. Males of the subspecies from Northwest Brazil are whiter below and grayish in other populations.
Pied Water-Tyrant
Fluvicola pica
Striking flycatcher found in open marshes in northern South America. White body and face with mostly black upperparts. Bold white V on back, thicker on male. Sexes similar, females have browner back. Found singly or in pairs, usually perched close to the ground where they flit around searching for insects. No range overlap with other similar water-tyrants.
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