- White's Thrush
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White's Thrush 
Zoothera dauma aurea Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Turdidae Genus: Zoothera Species: Z. dauma Binomial name Zoothera dauma
(Latham, 1790)Synonyms - Geocichla horsfieldi
Subspecies Z. d. horsfieldi, Horsfield's Thrush; illustration by Keulemans, 1881
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.
Contents
Distribution and habitat
It breeds in wet coniferous taiga, 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.
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 Thrush. 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.
Subspecies Z. d. papuensis, illustration by Keulemans, 1881Taxonomy
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 Indonesia 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.
Behaviour
White's Thrush is very secretive, preferring dense cover. It nests in trees, laying three or four dull green eggs in a neat cup nest. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworms and berries.
References
- BirdLife International (2006). Zoothera dauma. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 6 May 2006.
- Brazil, Mark (2009) Birds of East Asia, Christopher Helm, London.
- Collar, N. J. (2004) Species limits in some Indonesian thrushes, Forktail, 20: 71-87.
- Internet Bird Collection. Common Scaly Thrush (Zoothera dauma). Retrieved 10 January 2010.
- Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6
- Thrushes by Clement and Hathaway, ISBN 0-7136-3940-7
External links
- White's Thrush caught at the birdringgingstation at Schiermonnikoog, Netherlands.
Categories:- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Zoothera
- Birds of Nepal
- Birds of Pakistan
- Birds of India
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