Ecuadorian thrush
| Ecuadorian thrush | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Turdidae |
| Genus: | Turdus |
| Species: | T. maculirostris
|
| Binomial name | |
| Turdus maculirostris Berlepsch & Taczanowski, 1884
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
See text | |
The Ecuadorian thrush (Turdus maculirostris) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.[2]
Taxonomy and systematics
The Ecuadorian thrush was originally described in 1884 as a subspecies of the black-billed thrush (Turdus ignobilis).[3] It was later reassigned as a subspecies of the spectacled thrush (T. nudigenis) but in the early 2000s was recognized as a full species.[4] The Ecuadorian thrush is monotypic.[2]
Description
The Ecuadorian thrush is 21.5 to 23 cm (8.5 to 9.1 in) long and weighs 62 to 76 g (2.2 to 2.7 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have an olive-brown head with a faint yellow eye-ring. Their upperparts, wings, and tail are olive-brown. Their throat is white with dark streaks. Their breast and flanks are a paler olive-brown than their upperparts and their belly and vent are whitish. They have a dark iris, a dusky yellow bill, and olive-brownish legs and feet. Juveniles have thin buff streaks on their upperparts, wing bars of orangey spots, and dark brown mottling on their breast and flanks.[5]
Distribution and habitat
The Ecuadorian thrush is found in western Ecuador from just south of the Colombian border south through the length of the country and into far northwestern Peru's Tumbes Department. In Ecuador it is found coastally and inland south to Santa Elena Province and beyond there into Peru only inland from the coast. In Ecuador it mostly ranges in elevation from sea level to 1,900 m (6,200 ft) and in Peru ranges between 400 and 750 m (1,300 and 2,500 ft).[6][7] It inhabits a variety of somewhat open landscapes in the lowlands and subtropical zone. These include light forest and woodlands, clearings and edges of denser forest, and gardens near forest.[6]
Behavior
General
The Ecuadorian thrush is described as "rather shy".[6]
Movement
The Ecuadorian thrush is a year-round resident.[1]
Feeding
Little is known about the Ecuadorian thrush's diet or foraging behavior. It is known to forage mostly in trees.[5][6]
Breeding
The Ecuadorian thrush's breeding season has not been fully defined but includes February. It builds a nest of plant fibers, mud, and moss on a stump, in a branch fork, or on a branch. Nests have been found between about 0.5 and 6 m (2 and 20 ft) above the ground. The only known clutch was of three eggs that were deep turquoise to dull greenish blue and spotted with red-brown. The incubation period, time to fledging, and details of parental care are not known.[5]
Vocalization
The Ecuadorian thrush's song is "a musical caroling". Its principle call is "a distinctive cat-like and querulous queeoww" and it also makes a "chuk" call.[6]
Status
The IUCN has assessed the Ecuadorian thrush as being of Least Concern. Its population size is not known but is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified.[1] It is considered "the most numerous and widespread Turdus" in western Ecuador and is fairly common in its small Peruvian range.[6][7]
References
- ^ a b c BirdLife International (2018). "Ecuadorian Thrush Turdus maculirostris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018 e.T22708925A132079020. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22708925A132079020.en. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (March 2025). "Thrushes". IOC World Bird List. v 15.1. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- ^ von Berlepsch, Hans Hermann Carl Ludwig; Taczanowski, Władysław (1883). "Liste des oiseaux receuillis par MM. Stolzmaun et Siemiradzki dans l'Ecuadeur occidental". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (in Latin and French): 538. Retrieved March 3, 2026. The issue was published in 1884 "for the year 1883".
- ^ Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, D. F. Lane, L, N. Naka, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 27 February 2026. A classification of the bird species of South America. South American Classification Committee associated with the International Ornithologists' Union. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved February 28, 2026
- ^ a b c Collar, N. and E. de Juana (2020). Ecuadorian Thrush (Turdus maculirostris), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.ecuthr1.01 retrieved March 3, 2026
- ^ a b c d e f Ridgely, Robert S.; Greenfield, Paul J. (2001). The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide. Vol. II. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p. 578. ISBN 978-0-8014-8721-7.
- ^ a b Schulenberg, T.S.; Stotz, D.F.; Lane, D.F.; O'Neill, J.P.; Parker, T.A. III (2010). Birds of Peru. Princeton Field Guides (revised and updated ed.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 532. ISBN 978-0691130231.