Mountain Thrush

About the Mountain Thrush

The mountain thrush (Turdus plebejus) is species of bird in the family Turdidae, the thrushes and allies. It is found from Mexico to Panama. It was formerly known as the mountain robin and has also been called the American mountain thrush.

The mountain thrush was originally described in 1861 with its current binomial Turdus plebejus. The species' further taxonomy is unsettled. The IOC, AviList, and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World assign it these three subspecies:

T. p. plebejus: Cabanis, 1861 T. p. differens: (Nelson, 1901) T. p. rafaelensis: Miller, W & Griscom, 1925 However, as of late 2025 the Clements taxonomy recognizes only two by including T. p. rafaelensis within T. p. differens.

This article follows the three-subspecies model. The mountain thrush is 23 to 25.5 cm (9.1 to 10 in) long; males weigh an average of about 81 g (2.9 oz) and females average about 92 g (3.2 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies T. p. plebejus have mostly olivaceous brown upperparts with a browner head and more olivaceous rump and uppertail coverts. Their throat is pale brown with faint sepia... Wikipedia →