Abyssinian ground thrush

Last updated

Abyssinian ground thrush
Abyssinian Ground-thrush (Zoothera piaggiae) perched.jpg
Photographed in Kenya
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Geokichla
Species:
G. piaggiae
Binomial name
Geokichla piaggiae
(Bouvier, 1877) [2]
Synonyms
  • Turdus piaggiaeBouvier, 1877
  • Zoothera piaggiae(Bouvier, 1877)
  • Zoothera piaggii(Bouvier, 1877)

The Abyssinian ground thrush (Geokichla piaggiae) is a thrush from the family Turdidae which is native to north-east Africa where it lives at high altitude in montane forests. [3] Its binomial nomenclature honors the 19th century Italian explorer of East Africa Carlo Piaggia. [4]

Contents

Description

Illustration by Keulemans, 1881 GeocichlaPiaggiiKeulemans.jpg
Illustration by Keulemans, 1881

The Abyssinian ground thrush is an attractive but rather secretive species. The adults are a deep rufous orange on the head and face with a distinct white eye ring, the orange colour becomes les rufous on the breast and flanks and the upperparts are olive brown except for the orange-brown rump and tail. On the folded wing it shows two prominent white wingbars from the tips to the coverts. Immature birds tend to be paler and duller than the adults. [5] They measure 19–20 cm (7.5–7.9 in) in length and weigh 43–65 g (1.5–2.3 oz). [6]

Voice

The contact call of the Abyssinian ground thrush is a high pitched "tseep", the song is a typical thrush like [5] melodious series of whistled phrases rendered in Sinclair & Ryan as "chee-cheeleeroo-chruup". [3]

Distribution and subspecies

There are six currently recognised subspecies of Abyssinian ground thrush [2] and they are listed below with their distributions: [6]

Habitat

The Abyssinian ground thrush occurs in the undergrowth of evergreen montane forest in high rainfall regions between 1,800 and 3,300 m (5,910 and 10,830 ft), mostly above 2,500 m (8,200 ft), although occasionally found lower. It may also occur in bamboo forest, e.g. on Mount Kenya, or in exotic pine plantations in Ethiopia. [5]

Habits

The Abyssinian ground thrush is shy and solitary bird which forages on the ground where it hops, runs or walks under trees or dense vegetation. It will feed higher up in fruiting bushes or trees. It is frequently found near forest streams in moss and lichen covered areas and may also frequent the edges of clearings or paths. It quickly goes to hide in cover if danger threatens. Its food is mainly earthworms, millipedes, snails and insects which it searches for in the leaf litter; it will also follow ant swarms and catch invertebrates fleeing the ants and it feeds on fruit such as figs, berries and some seeds. [5]

Abyssinian ground thrushes breed during the rainy season which varies through their range. The nest is a cup of moss or other plant material lined with plant fibres and is usually situated below 5m above the ground in the fork of a branch or sapling and is well hidden. Two eggs are laid, the young are fed by both parents and after fledging they remain with their parents for up to three months. [5]

Taxonomy

This thrush has been placed in the genera Turdus , then Zoothera [5] but is now placed in the Geokichla . [2] In addition the subspecies G.p. tanganjicae and G.p kilimensis have sometimes been regarded as separate species but they do not differ very much from the other subspecies in voice or morphology and most authorities lump them with Abyssinian ground thrush. [5] [1] [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African thrush</span> Species of bird

The African thrush or West African thrush is a passerine bird in the thrush family Turdidae. It is common in well-wooded areas over much of the western part of sub-Saharan Africa, it was once considered to be conspecific with the olive thrush but that species has now been split further. Populations are resident (non-migratory).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange-headed thrush</span> Species of bird

The orange-headed thrush is a bird in the thrush family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asian thrush</span> Genus of birds

The Asian thrushes are medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus Zoothera of the thrush family, Turdidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pied thrush</span> Species of bird

The pied thrush is a member of the thrush family found in India and Sri Lanka. The males are conspicuously patterned in black and white while the females are olive brown and speckled. They breed in the central Himalayan forests and winter in the hill forests of southern India and Sri Lanka. Like many other thrushes, they forage on leaf litter below forest undergrowth and fly into trees when disturbed and sit still making them difficult to locate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African pygmy kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The African pygmy kingfisher is a small insectivorous kingfisher found in the Afrotropics, mostly in woodland habitats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abyssinian crimsonwing</span> Species of bird

The Abyssinian crimsonwing, also known as the Ethiopian crimsonwing, Salvadori's crimsonwing or crimson-backed forest finch, is a common species of estrildid finch found in eastern Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 190,000 km2 (73,000 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape robin-chat</span> Species of bird

The Cape robin-chat is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It has a disjunct range from South Sudan to South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-necked spurfowl</span> Species of bird

The yellow-necked spurfowl or yellow-necked francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. This species is named for the yellow patch found on its neck. Males of this species have been noted to have spurs on the back of their legs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-browed robin-chat</span> Species of bird

The white-browed robin-chat, also known as Heuglin's robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. Found in east, central and southern Africa, its natural habitats include riverine forest and thickets, and it is also found near humans. The IUCN classifies it as a least-concern species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little rock thrush</span> Species of bird

The little rock thrush is a species of passerine bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Yemen. It is found in rocky areas with some trees, and sometimes near settlements. At 15 to 16 centimetres this is the smallest of the Muscicapidae. The male has the head, throat and upper mantle blue-grey, the underparts orange-red, except for the center blackish center tail and tips which form an inverted T shape. The female is duller and paler. It is readily mistaken for a redstart because of its habit of trembling its tail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-starred robin</span> Species of bird

The white-starred robin is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher and chat family Muscicapidae. It is also sometimes more simply called the starred robin. It is monotypic within the genus Pogonocichla. There are around twelve subspecies. The species is found in East and southern Africa. It is a forest species, occurring in montane forest in the north of its range but closer to sea level further south. This is a brightly coloured robin with a bright yellow breast and belly, a slate coloured head with spots on the eyes and throat and blueish wings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African hill babbler</span> Species of bird

The African hill babbler is a species of bird in the family Sylviidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comoro thrush</span> Species of bird

The Comoro thrush is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in the Comoros Islands in the south western Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange ground thrush</span> Species of bird

The orange ground thrush is a species of bird in the family Turdidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotted ground thrush</span> Species of bird

The spotted ground thrush is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, and possibly Mozambique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark-sided thrush</span> Species of bird

The dark-sided thrush is a species of bird in the thrush family Turdidae. It is also known as the lesser brown thrush, the long-billed ground-thrush, and the dark-sided ground-thrush. The species is monotypic and is closely related to a number of thrushes in the genus Zoothera, including the long-billed thrush and the widespread scaly thrush. It was described by Edward Blyth in 1847 based upon a specimen collected in Rakhine in Burma (Myanmar).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberländer's ground thrush</span> Species of bird

Oberländer's ground thrush, also known as the forest ground-thrush, is a species of bird in the thrush family, Turdidae. It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

The Kivu ground thrush is a bird subspecies native to the Albertine Rift montane forests. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abyssinian thrush</span> Species of bird

The Abyssinian thrush is a passerine bird in the family Turdidae. It is also known as the African mountain thrush, or northern olive thrush The species was formerly treated as conspecific with the olive thrush but the species were split based on the genetic differences. The ranges do not overlap. The Abyssinian thrush is found in Eritrea and other parts of the Horn of Africa, as well as an area to the southeast extending from the African Great Lakes region to north eastern Zambia and Malawi.

<i>Geokichla</i> Genus of birds

The Geokichla thrushes are medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the thrush family, Turdidae. They were traditionally listed in the Zoothera, but molecular phylogenetic studies published in 2008 led to their placement in a separate genus.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "Geokichla piaggiae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22730723A95029543. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22730723A95029543.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Geokichla piaggiae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  3. 1 2 Sinclair, Ian; Ryan, Peter (2003). Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. Struik. p. 436. ISBN   1-86872-857-9.
  4. Spartaco Gippoliti; Luca Lupi (31 December 2023). "Carlo Piaggia, the definition of "gallery forests", and forest avifauna in Central Africa". Boll. Mus. reg. Sci. nat. Torino. 40: 157–170 via ResearchGate.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Clement, Peter; Hathway, Ren; Byers, Clive; Wiczur, Jan (2000). Thrushes. Christopher Helm. pp. 240–241. ISBN   0713639407.
  6. 1 2 "Abyssinian Ground-thrush (Zoothera piaggiae)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Archived from the original on 2016-09-13. Retrieved 2016-11-06.

Recordings at xeno-canto http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Geokichla-piaggiae