Spotted palm thrush

Spotted palm thrush
	Adult at Lake Manyara, Tanzania
	Song recorded in southwestern Kenya
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Muscicapidae
Genus:	Cichladusa
Species:	C. guttata
Binomial name
	Cichladusa guttata; (Heuglin, 1862)

Last updated April 02, 2024

The spotted palm thrush (Cichladusa guttata), also known as the spotted morning-thrush, is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family. They are small birds mostly consisting of the colors brown, black, and cream.^[2] They can be found in eastern African countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.^[3] Their natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, dry savanna, and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland. This bird is a forager that has a diet consisting of invertebrates. These birds create a variety of different vocal duets as a form of communication.

Appearance

The spotted palm thrush measures around 16-17 centimeters (6.3-6.7 inches) long and weighs around 17-30 grams (<0.1 pounds). This bird features a warm brown color from crown to back and wings, with a dark brown eye stripe, and black-arrowed, creamy white underparts. The males and females are monomorphic, having little variance in their appearance regardless of sex.^[2]

Habitat

The spotted palm thrush is located in most parts of Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. They can also be found in the easternmost parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the southernmost parts of Sudan.^[2] These birds commonly dwell in habitats along the dense undergrowth within savannas, woodland, dry watercourses, thickets, and scrub habitats.^[3]^[4]

Diet

The spotted palm thrush has a diet consisting of invertebrates, such as small snails, and cordia fruits. At an early age, a spotted palm thrush will mostly eat bush-cricket nymphs, beetle larvae, lampyrinae larvae, and moth caterpillars. Spotted palm thrushes get their food by foraging on the ground, both single and in pairs, in human populated areas near game-park lodges and gardens.^[2]

Vocal Behavior

The spotted palm thrush creates different sounds and imitations for different reasons of contact. Two of these main vocal performances include course singing and repetitive singing. Spotted palm thrushes will perform course singing by themselves. Once they are paired with a bird of the opposite sex, they engage in repetitive singing. The gender of the bird can be distinguished based on their duet contributions; duets are commonly initiated by males, and females sing during the silent intervals between male notes. Normally, these duets last around 8 to 20 seconds, and the duration and volume of the duet could change based on the birds’ levels of excitement. To indicate their excitement before and after duets, spotted palm thrushes will raise their body, pointing their head and bill upward, and show their spotted throat.^[5]

Related Research Articles

The fringe-tailed gerbil is a species of rodent found in Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, possibly Cameroon, and possibly Nigeria. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, arable land and urban areas.

Anchieta's ridged frog or plain grass frog is a species of frog in the family Ptychadenidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, possibly Burundi, and possibly Rwanda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, rivers, intermittent rivers, freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, hot deserts, arable land, rural gardens, urban areas, and ponds.

The red-winged lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in eastern Africa.

The African grey flycatcher, grayish flycatcher, or large flycatcher is a passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that occurs in parts of East Africa.

The black cuckooshrike is a species of bird in the cuckooshrike family Campephagidae. The species is closely related to Petit's cuckooshrike and the red-shouldered cuckooshrike, and forms a superspecies with them. It is also known as the African black cuckooshrike.

The collared palm thrush is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are dry savannah and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland.

The rattling cisticola is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae which is native to Africa south of the equator, and parts of East Africa. It is a common to abundant species in open savanna and scrubland habitats, whether in arid, moist or upland regions. Especially during summer, it is highly conspicuous due to its strident and repetitive call-notes from prominent perches.

The white-browed scrub robin, also known as the red-backed scrub-robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa, especially East and southern Africa. Within range, its Turdus-like song is one of the often-heard sounds of the bush. The flitting of the tail is characteristic of this species, but also of some near relatives.

The black-headed gonolek is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is found in Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-naped bushshrike</span> Species of bird

The red-naped bushshrike or red-naped boubou is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae, which is native to the dry lowlands of the eastern Afrotropics.

The buff-bellied warbler is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is monotypic within the genus Phyllolais. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, dry savanna, and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

The white-crested helmetshrike, also known as the white helmetshrike, is a species of passerine bird in the Vanga family Vangidae, formerly usually included in the Malaconotidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three-streaked tchagra</span> Species of bird

The three-streaked tchagra is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae, which is an uncommon resident of semi-desert regions in the eastern Afrotropics. The binomial of this bird commemorates the explorer Frank Linsly James, who also had the Frank James Memorial Hospital built in his honour.

The bare-eyed thrush is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania.

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.

The little spotted woodpecker or green-backed woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is native to large parts of tropical central Africa. It has an extensive range and is an uncommon species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

The unstriped ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is the only member of the genus Xerus. It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

The eloquent horseshoe bat is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, moist savanna, and caves.

Brachythemis lacustris is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burundi. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, rivers, and intermittent rivers.

Palpopleura portia, the Portia Widow, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burundi. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, rivers, intermittent rivers, shrub-dominated wetlands, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, and freshwater springs.

References

↑ BirdLife International (2018). "Cichladusa guttata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22709876A131880415. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22709876A131880415.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
1 2 3 4 Collar, Nigel (2020). "Spotted Morning-Thrush (Cichladusa guttata), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.spmthr1.01species_shared.bow.project_name. ISSN 2771-3105.
1 2 BirdLife International (2018). " Cichladusa guttata ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22709876A131880415. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22709876A131880415.en. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
↑ "Spotted Morning-Thrush". eBird. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
↑ Todt, Dietmar; Fiebelkorn, Anne (1980). "Display, Timing and Function of Wing Movements Accompanying Antiphonal Duets of Cichladusa guttata". Behaviour. 72 (1/2): 82–106. ISSN 0005-7959.

This article about an Old World flycatcher is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[iucn_status_11_November_2021-1] BirdLife International (2018). "Cichladusa guttata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22709876A131880415. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22709876A131880415.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.

[:0-2] 1 2 3 4 Collar, Nigel (2020). "Spotted Morning-Thrush (Cichladusa guttata), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.spmthr1.01species_shared.bow.project_name. ISSN 2771-3105.

[:1-3] 1 2 BirdLife International (2018). " Cichladusa guttata ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22709876A131880415. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22709876A131880415.en. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

[4] "Spotted Morning-Thrush". eBird. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 2024-03-24.

[5] Todt, Dietmar; Fiebelkorn, Anne (1980). "Display, Timing and Function of Wing Movements Accompanying Antiphonal Duets of Cichladusa guttata". Behaviour. 72 (1/2): 82–106. ISSN 0005-7959.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]