White-backed thrush

White-backed thrush
White-backed thrush in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Turdidae
Genus:	Turdus
Species:	T. kessleri
Binomial name
Turdus kessleri (Przewalski, 1876)

The white-backed thrush or Kessler's thrush (Turdus kessleri) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is primarily resident or a short-distance altitudinal migrant, found in central China in Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, eastern Tibet, and northwestern Yunnan, ^{[2] [3]} and also a scarce winter visitor in Bhutan, northeasternmost India (Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim), and eastern Nepal. ^{[2] [4]} It breeds in alpine scrub on rocky sites at altitudes of 3600–4500 metres, and descends down to 2100 metres, rarely to 1500 metres, in winter. ^{[2] [3]}

It is a large thrush, 28 cm long (same size as a mistle thrush). The male has a black head, wings, and tail, and a pink body, dark pink below and pale pink to nearly white on the mantle (thus superficially resembling a rosy starling in plumage pattern, though larger and longer-tailed than that). The female is similar but drabber, with a dark brown head and the pink tinged greyer. Juveniles are similar to adult females, but with pale streaks on the head. ^[2] It is gregarious, forming flocks particularly in winter, but also on the breeding grounds, and often joins flocks of dusky thrush and red-throated thrush. It is omnivorous, feeding on insects, earthworms, and berries, with juniper cones ("berries") particularly important in winter. ^{[2] [3]}

References

1. BirdLife International (2016). "Turdus kessleri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T22708786A94176683. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22708786A94176683.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
2. Clement, Peter; Hathway, Ren (2000-11-30). Thrushes. London: A&C Black. pp. 36–37, 367–368. ISBN   0-7136-3940-7.
3. MacKinnon, John Ramsay; Phillipps, Karen (2000-06-08). A Field Guide to the Birds of China. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-19-854940-7.
4. Kazmierczak, Krys; Perlo, Ber van (2000). A field guide to the birds of the Indian subcontinent. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN   0-300-07921-4.