Orange-headed Thrush

About the Orange-headed Thrush

The orange-headed thrush (Geokichla citrina) is a bird in the thrush family. It is common in well-wooded areas of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Most populations are resident. The species shows a preference for shady damp areas, and like many Geokichla and Zoothera thrushes, can be quite secretive.

The orange-headed thrush is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworms and fruit. It nests in trees but does not form flocks. The male of this small thrush has uniform grey upperparts, and an orange head and underparts. The females and young birds have browner upper parts.

This species was first described by John Latham in 1790 as Turdus citrinus, the species name meaning "citrine" and referencing the colour of the head and underparts. It has about 12 subspecies. Rasmussen and Anderton (2005) suggest that this complex may consist of more than one species.

G. c. citrina, the nominate subspecies breeds from northern India east along the Himalayas to eastern Bangladesh and possibly in western and northern Burma. It winters further south in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. G. c. cyanota is mainly resident in Peninsular India south to Kerala. It has a... Wikipedia →