The Abyssinian thrush (''Turdus abyssinicus'') is a

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...

bird in the family

Turdidae The thrushes are a passerine bird family, Turdidae, with a worldwide distribution. The family was once much larger before biologists reclassified the former subfamily Saxicolinae, which includes the chats and European robins, as Old World flycat ...

. It is also known as the African mountain thrush, or northern olive thrush In 2010, the species was confirmed as separate from the

olive thrush The olive thrush (''Turdus olivaceus'') is, in its range, one of the most common members of the thrush family (Turdidae). It occurs in African highlands from southern Malawi and Mozambique in the north to the Cape of Good Hope in the south. It ...

(''Turdus olivaceus'') due to genetic differences. Their ranges do not overlap. The southern and northern populations may be distinct

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

. The Abyssinian thrush is found in

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

and other parts of the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

, as well as an area to the southeast extending from the

African Great Lakes The African Great Lakes ( sw, Maziwa Makuu; rw, Ibiyaga bigari) are a series of lakes constituting the part of the Rift Valley lakes in and around the East African Rift. They include Lake Victoria, the second-largest fresh water lake in the ...

region to north eastern

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

and

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

Description

It is long. This variable forest thrush is generally darker than the

African thrush The African thrush or West African thrush (''Turdus pelios'') is a passerine bird in the thrush family Turdidae. It is common in well-wooded areas over much of the western part of sub-Saharan Africa, it was once considered to be conspecific with ...

and has an orange (not yellow) bill. It is also darker than the

Kurrichane thrush The Kurrichane thrush (''Turdus libonyana'') is a species of bird in the thrush family Turdidae. The species is found from central through to southern Africa. Its natural habitat is dry savanna and woodland, predominantly miombo woodland. Taxono ...

and has no malar stripes. Generally the birds get darker at higher altitudes.

Distribution, habitat and habits

The Abyssinian thrush occurs in the highlands of eastern Africa from South Sudan south to northern

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

. Its habitat includes forests woodlands, exotic plantations, parks and gardens. This species is a typical member of the genus ''

Turdus True thrushes are medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus ''Turdus'' of the wider thrush family, Turdidae. The genus name ''Turdus'' is Latin for "thrush". The term " thrush" is used for many other birds of the family T ...

'' but its habits and biology have been little studied, as it was considered to be a subspecies of olive thrush.

Taxonomy

The Abyssinian thrush was considered to be part of the olive thrush but that species has now been split and is regarded as a superspecies, members of which include the

Taita thrush The Taita thrush (''Turdus helleri''), also known as the Taita olive thrush or Heller's ground thrush, is an endangered bird from the family of thrushes (Turdidae), endemic to the Taita Hills in Kenya. Description The Taita thrush was previously ...

Karoo thrush The Karoo thrush (''Turdus smithi''), also known as Smith's thrush, is a member of the thrush family in Africa. It has traditionally been considered a subspecies of the olive thrush (with which it is known to hybridize), but is increasingly treat ...

Usambara thrush The Usambara thrush (''Turdus roehli''), also known as Roehl's thrush or Usambara olive thrush, is a species of thrush found in eastern Africa. Formerly, it was considered as a subspecies of the olive thrush, with which it is known to hybrid ...

and

Somali thrush The Somali thrush (''Turdus ludoviciae''), also known as the Somali blackbird, is a songbird species in the family Turdidae. It is endemic to Somalia. It has a black head and breast, yellow bill, brown back and wings and a grey belly with red si ...

. Under the split the following subspecies have been recognised as being within the Abyssinian thrush: *''Turdus abyssinicus abyssinicus'' Gmelin, 1789: Highlands of

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

, south eastern

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

, northern

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and northern

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

. *''Turdus abyssinicus deckeni'' Cabanis, 1868: Northern Tanzania from

Longido Longido is a small town and ward in Arusha Region in Tanzania. It is the administrative seat for Longido District. Most of the inhabitants are Maasai, but there are other East African tribes as well. Longido is at the foot of Mount Longido, wh ...

and Ketumbeine to

Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world: above sea level and ab ...

*''Turdus abyssinicus baraka'' (Sharpe, 1903): Mountains of eastern

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

and the

Ruwenzori Mountains The Ruwenzori, also spelled Rwenzori and Rwenjura, are a range of mountains in eastern equatorial Africa, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The highest peak of the Ruwenzori reaches , and the range' ...

of western

. *''Turdus abyssinicus bambusicola'' Neumann, 1908: Highlands of

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

, south western Uganda, north western Tanzania and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo *''Turdus abyssinicus nyikae'' Reichenow, 1904: The

Nguru Nguru may refer to: * Pila Nguru, an aboriginal people of Australia * Nguru (flute), a small Māori nose flute from New Zealand * Nguru, Nigeria, a town and LGA in Yobe State * Hadejia-Nguru wetlands, northern Nigeria * Nguru Lake, a lake whic ...

and

Uluguru Mountains The Uluguru mountains are a mountain range in eastern Tanzania, named after the Luguru tribe. The main portion of the Uluguru mountains is a ridge running roughly north-south and rising to altitude at its highest point. On the main Uluguru rang ...

in Tanzania, northern Malawi and north eastern Zambia. *''Turdus abyssinicus oldeani'' W. L. Sclater & Moreau, 1935: Mountains of north central Tanzania.

References

Works cited

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2225989 Abyssinian thrush Abyssinian thrush Birds of East Africa Abyssinian thrush Abyssinian thrush