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
Hangnest Tody-Tyrant
Hemitriccus nidipendulus
Tiny, two-toned yellow-and-green flycatcher that inhabit dense woodlands, forest edges, and coastal forests. Note the pale eyes, plain olive-green back, and no wingbars. Whitish below with a lightly streaked throat. Like several other closely-related species it builds an elongated purse-shaped hanging nest. The song is a series of high-pitched “prre-prrew-prrew” notes.
Black Kite
Milvus migrans
Medium-sized, rather nondescript raptor with overall dark plumage. Varies considerably across range, but always note tail fork (can disappear when tail is fully open), and short head and neck. Juvenile averages paler and more contrastingly-marked. Flight style buoyant, gliding and changing direction with ease. Frequently forages in urban areas, rubbish dumps, aquatic habitats, and grassland, but usually avoids heavily forested areas. Sometimes solitary, but also gathers in large flocks on migration and at good feeding areas.
Forbes's Forest Rail
Rallicula forbesi
A medium-sized rail of montane forests. Chestnut body and tail with dark wings. The male Forbes’s is distinctive, having a plain wing whereas the female has buff spots. Similar to Chestnut Forest-Rail but Forbes’s Rail usually occurs lower, and the female has barred rear flanks instead of pale spots and buffy rather than whiteish spots. Voice, similar quacking to White-striped Forest-Rail and also a hoarse and accelerating “wokwokwokwokwok…..” reminiscent of Blue-bearded Bee-eater.
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