Collins Field Guide – Birds of India by Norman Arlott

Author:Norman Arlott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2015-03-19T16:00:00+00:00

93 THRUSHES

1 KESSLER’S THRUSH (WHITE-BACKED THRUSH) Turdus kessleri 28cm FIELD NOTES: Gregarious; may be found among parties of Black-throated or Dusky Thrushes. VOICE: A soft squack, a low dug-dug, a high-pitched swi-swi-swi-swi and harsh chuckles. HABITAT: Open shrubby areas; also potato fields and orchards. DISTRIBUTION: Winter visitor to E Himalayas.

2 CHESTNUT THRUSH Turdus rubrocanus 24–28cm FIELD NOTES: Generally perches in the tops of trees. Feeds on the ground and in trees and bushes. Race T. r. gouldii (2b) occurs in E Himalayas and the NE of the region. VOICE: Short warbled phrases repeated up to eight times. Calls include a chuck-chuck and a rapid kwik-kwik kwik-kwik. HABITAT: Breeds in conifer and mixed forests with ground cover; winters in open wooded areas and orchards. DISTRIBUTION: Resident and winter visitor in the Himalayas and the NE of the region.

3 WHITE-COLLARED BLACKBIRD Turdus albocinctus 28cm FIELD NOTES: Generally wary; more sociable post breeding. Forages on the ground or in fruiting bushes and trees. Juvenile lacks the white collar; generally brown above with ochre tips to wing feathers, ochre below with dark brown spotting. VOICE: A series of mellow, descending whistles, tew-i-tew-u-tew-o or similar. Call is a throaty tuck-tuck-tuck. HABITAT: Various forests with good ground cover. DISTRIBUTION: Resident in the Himalayas and the NE of the region.

4 BLACK-BREASTED THRUSH Turdus dissimilis 23cm FIELD NOTES: Forages on the ground and also in fruiting trees and bushes. VOICE: A sweet lilting series of short-spaced notes. Calls include a thin seeee and a resounding tuc tuc tuc. HABITAT: Breeds in oak and conifer forest, broadleaved evergreen forest and secondary growth. Post breeding also occurs in scrub jungle and mangroves. DISTRIBUTION: Resident in NE India; winters south to Bangladesh.

5 INDIAN BLACKBIRD Turdus simillimus 25cm FIELD NOTES: Forages on the ground and in fruiting trees. Pale race T. s. nigropileus (5b) occurs in W, C, and SE India. Dark race T. s. kinnisii (5c) occurs in Sri Lanka. VOICE: Loud and melodious with much mimicry. T. s. kinnisii has a long series of warbling whistles. Call is a kack-kack. HABITAT: Moist forest and wooded ravines. DISTRIBUTION: Resident in the hills of peninsular India and Sri Lanka.

6 GREY-WINGED BLACKBIRD Turdus boulboul 29cm FIELD NOTES: Generally shy. May form small winter flocks, which often include White-collared Blackbirds. VOICE: Rich and melodious, usually consisting of a soft opening note followed by four high notes descending in tone. Calls include a chuck-chuck, a chook-chook and a churi contact note. HABITAT: Moist broadleaved forest of oak and rhododendron with thick cover, conifer forest clearings and dry scrub on hillsides. DISTRIBUTION: Resident in the Himalayas; winter visitor in N India.

7 TIBETAN BLACKBIRD Turdus maximus 26–29cm FIELD NOTES: Forages on the ground; attracted to soft areas at the edge of melting snow. VOICE: A series of phrases that includes rapid metallic notes, squeaks, wheezy sounds, guttural caws and a pure whistle. Calls include a low chut-ut-ut and a harsh chak-chak-chak-chak. HABITAT: Subalpine rocky grassy slopes with dwarf juniper; winters at lower levels. DISTRIBUTION: Resident in NW Himalayas; winter visitor in the rest of the Himalayas.

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