Spot-winged Thrush
Encyclopedia
The Spot-winged Thrush, Zoothera spiloptera, is an Asian thrush
, a group within the large thrush
family Turdidae.
It is an endemic
resident breeder in Sri Lanka
. This uncommon species breeds in hill rainforests, and to a lesser extent in drier woodlands, at altitudes between 500 and 2000 m.
The wintering areas are similar but include less well-wooded areas, and are generally at 750 to 1500 m altitude. The Spot-winged Thrush is generally solitary, and like many Zoothera thrushes, can be quite secretive, especially in the dense undergrowth and bamboo
clumps it favours.
Spot-winged Thrushes are omnivorous
, but eat far more insect
s than fruit. They feed on the ground.
Adults of this 27 cm thrush are light brown above with a double wing bar of white spots. The pale face has two dark bars. The underparts are white with heavy spotting. The bill is black and legs are yellow. The song is a rich and varied whistling.
Young birds have buff streaking on the upperparts, and the face and the underparts are light brown with heavy streaking.
The loose cup nests are lined with vegetation and placed in a tree fork. 2-3 buff or bluish-green eggs are laid. This species raises two broods each year.
Asian thrush
The Asian thrushes are medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus Zoothera of the thrush family Turdidae.Two New World species traditionally regarded as Zoothera; actually belong elsewhere in the thrush family...
, a group within the large thrush
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
family Turdidae.
It is an endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
resident breeder in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. This uncommon species breeds in hill rainforests, and to a lesser extent in drier woodlands, at altitudes between 500 and 2000 m.
The wintering areas are similar but include less well-wooded areas, and are generally at 750 to 1500 m altitude. The Spot-winged Thrush is generally solitary, and like many Zoothera thrushes, can be quite secretive, especially in the dense undergrowth and bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
clumps it favours.
Spot-winged Thrushes are omnivorous
Omnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
, but eat far more insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s than fruit. They feed on the ground.
Adults of this 27 cm thrush are light brown above with a double wing bar of white spots. The pale face has two dark bars. The underparts are white with heavy spotting. The bill is black and legs are yellow. The song is a rich and varied whistling.
Young birds have buff streaking on the upperparts, and the face and the underparts are light brown with heavy streaking.
The loose cup nests are lined with vegetation and placed in a tree fork. 2-3 buff or bluish-green eggs are laid. This species raises two broods each year.