White's Thrush

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White's Thrush
Zoothera dauma aurea
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Turdidae
Genus:	Zoothera
Species:	Z. dauma
Binomial name
Zoothera dauma (Latham, 1790)

The White's Thrush (Zoothera dauma) is a member of the Thrush family Turdidae.

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. It is very secretive, preferring dense cover.

There are four races: Z. d. aurea is the migratory Siberian form, Z. d. dauma breeds in the Himalaya and migrates to the foothills in winter. Z. d. neilgherriensis is resident in the hills of southwest India and Z. d. imbicata is endemic to the hills of Sri Lanka. The latter is increasingly considered a distinct species, while the Amami Thrush and Horsfield's Thrush tend to be included in Zoothera aura, as Z. d. major and Z. d. horsfieldi, respectively.

The non-migratory forms are sometimes considered as separate species. The Sri Lankan race is particularly distinctive, being smaller, long-billed and rufous below, and is sometimes split as Sri Lanka Scaly Thrush.

White's Thrushes nest in trees, laying three or four dull green eggs in a neat cup nest. They are one of the largest thrushes at 27 cm, and are omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworms and berries.

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.

This bird was named after the English naturalist Gilbert White.

References

• BirdLife International (2006). Zoothera dauma. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 6 May 2006.
• 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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Zoothera dauma

• White's Thrush caught at the birdringgingstation at Schiermonnikoog (in the Frisian Islands), the Netherlands.