Andean Slaty Thrush

About the Andean Slaty Thrush

The Andean slaty thrush (Turdus nigriceps) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. The Andean slaty thrush was originally described with its current binomial Turdus nigriceps. What is now the blacksmith thrush, or eastern slaty thrush, (T. subularis) was originally described as a species but was long treated as a subspecies of T. nigriceps with the combination called the "slaty thrush". Following studies published in the early 2000s that showed they were not close relatives, taxonomic systems separated them.

The Andean slaty thrush is monotypic. The Andean slaty thrush is 18 to 23.5 cm (7.1 to 9.3 in) long and weighs 50 to 67.5 g (1.8 to 2.4 oz). The species is sexually dimorphic. Adult males have a mostly slate-gray head with a pale eye-ring and a dark-streaked white throat. Their upperparts, wings, and tail are slate-gray. Their underparts are a slightly paler slate-gray; birds in the north of their range have darker underparts than those in the south. Adult females have a greenish brown head and upperparts and somewhat paler greenish brown underparts. Both sexes have a dark... Wikipedia →