Thrushes

(Turdus fuscater)

 

The Great Thrushes (Turdus fuscater) occur naturally in the South American countries of n Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela; where they mostly inhabit subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, high-altitude shrubland, and heavily degraded former forests.

 

Subspecies and Ranges

    • Great Thrush – Turdus fuscater fuscater (d’Orbigny and Lafresnaye, 1837) – Nominate Form
      • Range: Western Bolivia

 

    • Giant Thrush – Turdus fuscater gigas (Fraser, 1841)
      • Range: Eastern Andes of Venezuela and Colombia.

 

    • Turdus fuscater cacozelus (Bangs, 1898)
      • Range: Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, in northern Colombia.

 

    • Turdus fuscater clarus (Phelps, Sr and Phelps, Jr, 1953)
      • Range: Perijá Mountains on the northeastern Colombia-western Venezuela border.

 

    • Turdus fuscater quindio (Chapman, 1925)
      • Range: Southern and western Colombia and northern Ecuador.

 

    • Turdus fuscater giganto des (Cabanis, 1873)
      • Range: Southern Ecuador south to central Peru.

 

  • Turdus fuscater ockendeni (Hellmayr, 1906)
    • Southeastern Peru

 

Description

Great Thrushes were named for their large size. At 12 – 14 inches (30 – 35 cm), they are the largest thrush in the Americas. The plumage is uniformly slaty-colored.

 

Diet / Feeding

Great Thrushes mostly feed on insects and berries found on the forest floor or in trees and shrubs.

 

Breeding / Nesting

Their cup nests are constructed of plant matter and placed relatively low in trees.

 

Alternate (Global) Names

Chinese: ??? … Czech: Drozd velký … Danish: Stor Solsort … Dutch: Reuzenlijster … Finnish: Isomustarastas … French: Grive géante, Merle géant … German: Riesendrossel … Italian: Tordo maggiore … Japanese: onitsugumi … Norwegian: Stortrost … Polish: drozd duzy, drozd du?y … Russian: ??????? ????? … Slovak: drozd obrí … Spanish: Mirla Patinaranja, Mirlo grande, Tordo Morera … Swedish: Stortrast

 

Additional Resources

Species Research by Sibylle Johnson

 

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