Taita Thrush
Turdus helleri
A typical thrush with a dark gray back and breast, a black head, and a white belly with rufous sides. Also note the orange bill, eye-ring, and legs. A scarce bird that is endemic to the Taita Hills of southeast Kenya. Found in the understory of remnant scraps of montane forest, where it is shy and retiring. Distinctive within its tiny range. It has a typical thrush song, and its “chk-chk” and thin “tseeep” calls often reveal this understory specialist.
识别特征
The Taita thrush was previously classified as subspecies of the olive thrush (Turdus olivaceus), but it is regarded as distinct species since 1985. It reaches a length between 20 and 22 centimetres. Head, breast and upperparts are coloured darkly. The underparts are white and the flanks have a rufous hue. The eyes and the bill exhibit a pale orange coloration. It was named after zoologist Edmund Heller (1875–1939) a workmate of the American ornithologist Edgar Alexander Mearns (1856–1916) who described this species scientifically in 1913.
分类信息
- 学名
- Turdus helleri
- 命名信息
- (Mearns, 1913)
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Turdidae
- 属
- Turdus
分布与栖息地
The Taita thrush is a forest-dependent endemic bird confined to four forests in the Taita Hills (in the south east of Kenya): Mbololo, Chawia, Yale and Ngangao. The forests cover a tiny 342 ha. Conservationists are using birds – with the thrush as the flagship species – to champion the conservation of the Taita Hills forests.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
It is restricted to montane moist forests. Despite its natural native habitat having been severely logged in the past, it has avoided forests with secondary growth, shrub vegetation, and cultivated areas. Extensive research has shown only very few migrations between the fragmented populations.
保护状况
The Taita Thrush, facing a precarious status with an estimated population of about 1,400 individuals, encountered a notable decline over recent years. Various population assessments suggest decreases, particularly in subpopulations across Mbololo, Ngangao, and Chawia. However, these figures come with uncertainties due to assumptions about habitat density and the use of estimation models. Urgent conservation actions are imperative to protect the Taita Hills' environment and address habitat degradation, fragmentation, and invasive species threats to secure the thrush's future.
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
其他鸟类
Scarlet-headed Blackbird
Amblyramphus holosericeus
A stunning blackbird with a sharply-pointed bill. The mostly black body contrasts with a bright orange-red head, breast, and thighs. Inhabits marshes with tall and dense vegetation. In the nonbreeding season, gathers in big flocks of up to 100 individuals. The call is a loud descending whistled “fee-ee-ee,” generally given from an exposed perch.
Gray Tinamou
Tinamus tao
Very large chicken-like bird, widespread across the Amazon basin, but nowhere common. Distinguished from other tinamous by entirely gray plumage with fine black barring on the upperparts and some white speckling on the head. Gray Tinamou is also larger than other large species such as Great and White-throated Tinamous. Favors areas of upland forest and is most often encountered by voice, a single, short hollow whistle given at long intervals.
Black-crowned Fulvetta
Schoeniparus klossi
Adorable small fulvetta with large, liquid cartoon eyes. Plain brown overall. Dark crown patterned with jagged pale streaks, and pale face marked with a broad black stripe above the ear and a smaller “teardrop” below the eye. Inhabits foothill and montane forests. Social and often found in mixed flocks. Clambers around agily on trunks and branches while foraging. Song is a rapid but somewhat halting series of high-pitched chip notes. Calls include similar chips, as well as rattles and sharp disyllabic notes.
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