White's Thrush
Encyclopedia
The White's Thrush or Scaly Thrush (Zoothera dauma) is a member of the thrush
family Turdidae. It was named after the English naturalist Gilbert White
.
, mainly in eastern Asia
and Siberia
. Northern races are strongly migratory, with most birds moving to southeastern Asia during the winter. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe
.
. The male has a song which is a loud, far-carrying mechanical whistle, with 5-10 second pauses between each one second long phrase twee...tuuu....tuuu....tuuu.
on the islands of Sumatra
, Java
, Bali
, Lombok
and Sumbawa
. Z. d. neilgherriensis (Nilgiri Thrush) is resident in the hills of southwest India
. Z. d. imbricata (Sri Lanka Thrush) is endemic to the hills of Sri Lanka
and is particularly distinctive, being smaller, long-billed and rufous below. Z. d. major (Amami Thrush
) is restricted to the Amami Islands
in Japan
.
The taxonomy of this group is still in flux. Some of these subspecies are very similar and the identity of some populations, such as those on Taiwan
, is uncertain.
The Fawn-breasted Thrush
(Z. machiki) of Indonesia and the Bassian Thrush
(Z. lunulata) and Russet-tailed Thrush
(Z. heinei) of Australia
were also included in Z. dauma in the past.
s in a neat cup nest. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworm
s and berries.
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 was named after the English naturalist Gilbert White
Gilbert White
Gilbert White FRS was a pioneering English naturalist and ornithologist.-Life:White was born in his grandfather's vicarage at Selborne in Hampshire. He was educated at the Holy Ghost School and by a private tutor in Basingstoke before going to Oriel College, Oxford...
.
Distribution and habitat
It breeds in wet coniferous taigaTaiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
, mainly in eastern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. Northern races are strongly migratory, with most birds moving to southeastern Asia during the winter. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Description
The sexes are similar, 27–31 cm long, with black scaling on a paler white or yellowish background. The most striking identification feature in flight is the black band on the white underwings, a feature shared with Siberian ThrushSiberian Thrush
The Siberian Thrush, Zoothera sibirica, is a member of the Thrush family Turdidae.It breeds in taiga in Siberia. It is strongly migratory, with most birds moving to southeastern Asia during the winter. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. It is very secretive.The Siberian Thrush is similar...
. The male has a song which is a loud, far-carrying mechanical whistle, with 5-10 second pauses between each one second long phrase twee...tuuu....tuuu....tuuu.
Taxonomy
There are several races which are now often split into a varying number of separate species. Z. d. aurea (White's Thrush), including the questionable subspecies Z. d. toratugumi, is the migratory Siberian and north-east Asian form. Z. d. dauma (Scaly Thrush) breeds in the Himalaya and migrates to the foothills in winter. Z. d. horsfieldi (Horsfield's Thrush) is resident in IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
on the islands of Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
, Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, Lombok
Lombok
Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east...
and Sumbawa
Sumbawa
Sumbawa is an Indonesian island, located in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain, with Lombok to the west, Flores to the east, and Sumba further to the southeast. It is in the province of West Nusa Tenggara....
. Z. d. neilgherriensis (Nilgiri Thrush) is resident in the hills of southwest India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Z. d. imbricata (Sri Lanka Thrush) is endemic to the hills of 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...
and is particularly distinctive, being smaller, long-billed and rufous below. Z. d. major (Amami Thrush
Amami Thrush
The Amami Thrush, Zoothera major, is a member of the Thrush family Turdidae. It is endemic to the islands of Amami Ōshima and Kakeroma island in the northern Nansei Islands of Japan....
) is restricted to the Amami Islands
Amami Islands
The are a group of islands that is part of the Satsunan Islands, which are then part of the Nansei Islands. The islands are part of Kagoshima Prefecture, in the Kyūshū region of Japan...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
The taxonomy of this group is still in flux. Some of these subspecies are very similar and the identity of some populations, such as those on Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, is uncertain.
The Fawn-breasted Thrush
Fawn-breasted Thrush
The Fawn-breasted Thrush is a species of bird in the Turdidae family. It is endemic to the Tanimbar Islands in Indonesia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Z. machiki) of Indonesia and the Bassian Thrush
Bassian Thrush
The Bassian Thrush , commonly known as the Olive-tailed Thrush, is a medium-sized mostly insectivorous thrush found predominantly in southeastern Australia and Tasmania...
(Z. lunulata) and Russet-tailed Thrush
Russet-tailed Thrush
The Russet-tailed Thrush is a species of bird in the Turdidae family, closely related to the more widespread Bassian Thrush .It is endemic to Australia....
(Z. heinei) of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
were also included in Z. dauma in the past.
Behaviour
White's Thrush is very secretive, preferring dense cover. It nests in trees, laying three or four dull green eggEgg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s in a neat cup nest. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworm
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
s and berries.
External links
- White's Thrush caught at the birdringgingstation at SchiermonnikoogSchiermonnikoogSchiermonnikoog is an island, a municipality, and a national park in the northern Netherlands. Schiermonnikoog is one of the West Frisian Islands, and is part of the province of Friesland....
, NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.