Samoan island thrush | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Turdidae |
Genus: | Turdus |
Species: | T. samoensis |
Binomial name | |
Turdus samoensis Tristram, 1879 | |
The Samoan island thrush (Turdus samoensis) is a species of passerine bird in the thrush family Turdidae. It is endemic to the Samoan Islands, which includes Samoa and American Samoa. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the island thrush, but in 2024 the island thrush complex was split into 17 different species by the IOC and Clements checklist based on morphological and phylogenic differences. [1] [2]
The Samoan island thrush was first described by clergyman and zoological collector Henry Baker Tristram in 1879 as Turdus samoensis. [3] For a long time afterwards it was considered a subspecies of island thrush. However following a phylogenetic study in 2023, and with consideration to morphological differences between subspecies, the Samoan island thrush is now treated as a distinct species. [4] The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. [5]