Eyebrowed thrush
| Eyebrowed thrush | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Turdidae |
| Genus: | Turdus |
| Species: | T. obscurus |
| Binomial name | |
| Turdus obscurus Gmelin, 1789 | |
The eyebrowed thrush (Turdus obscurus) is a member of the thrush family Turdidae. The scientific name comes from Latin Turdus, "thrush" and obscurus "dark".[2]
It breeds in dense coniferous forest and taiga eastwards from Siberia. It is strongly migratory, wintering south to southeast Asia and Indonesia. It is a rare vagrant to western Europe.
It nests in trees, laying 4-6 eggs in a neat nest. Migrating birds and wintering birds often form small flocks. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworms and berries.
This is an attractive thrush, with a grey back and head, the latter having a black eyeline, bordered white above and below. The breast and flanks are orange, and the belly white. The sexes are fairly similar, but immatures have a browner back.
The male has a simple whistling song, similar to the related mistle thrush.
In 2007 an eyebrowed thrush was sighted at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory in Jerusalem.[3] This is the second recorded sighting in Israel; the first was at Eilat in October 1996.
In 2011, an eyebrowed thrush was sighted in Australia, near Malanda in Queensland.[4] This is possibly the first confirmed sighting of the species on the Australian mainland.
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Turdus obscurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ↑ Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 278, 393. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ↑ Rare bird is sighted in Jerusalem, By Megan Jacobs, Nov. 5, 2007, Jerusalem Post
- ↑ Eye-browed Thrush – First for Australia, Feb. 9, 2011, Bird-o.com