Karoo Thrush
Turdus smithi
A typical mostly olive-brown thrush, with rufous coloration restricted to the center of the belly. It is most easily identified by range. Pairs occupy dense scrub and thickets in arid savanna and Karoo, grassland, and urban gardens on the South African highveld. The species gives a varied song and typical thrush “chk-chk” or thin “tseeep” calls. It is an understory specialist that sometimes skulks, but at other times can be quite bold. The similar Olive Thrush differs from Karoo Thrush in its rufous (not olive) flanks, its brown (not yellow-orange) eye-ring, its dark brown (not yellow) base to the upper mandible of the bill, and its streakier throat.
Identification
This medium-sized bird has a length of about 24 cm. It has a wing length between 117 and 131 mm, a culmen length between 20 and 24 mm and a tarsus length between 30.0 and 34.5 mm. It can reach a mass of at least 86 g. It differs from the olive thrush by its longer, entirely yellow bill, its longer wings, and its greyer flanks.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Turdus smithi
- Authority
- Bonaparte, 1850
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Not a recognized species
- Genus
- Turdus
Range and habitat
It occurs in South Africa, where it is present in Little Namaqualand, the Karoo and Northern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and parts of the North West Province.
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rusty Tinamou
Crypturellus brevirostris
Small tinamou, barred cinnamon and black above, rusty below, with a pale belly. Found mostly in seasonally flooded forest, but also recorded in upland forest, where it forages on the ground. The song is a series of musical whistles, starting slowly and accelerating towards the end.
Tawny-breasted Wren-Babbler
Spelaeornis longicaudatus
A small, rust-coloured bird with gray cheeks and white on the throat and belly. The upperparts are brown, and the rusty underparts lack the white streaks of other similar species. Skulks in undergrowth and low vegetation in evergreen forests, forest edges, and bamboo thickets. The song consists of about 3-5 strong, warbling notes.
Swainson's Sparrow
Passer swainsonii
A drab sparrow of northeastern Africa. The head and underparts are gray, the wing and back are brown, and the rump is rufous. Generally common within its range in all habitats except closed-canopy forest. Fond of human habitation. Very similar to Northern Gray-headed Sparrow, but there is little overlap in range, and Swainson’s has darker underparts. Also very similar to Parrot-billed Sparrow, but slightly smaller and slimmer-billed, with paler underparts. The call is a ringing “churp.”
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.