BIRD SPECIES

Black-breasted Thrush

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Turdus dissimilis

They are about 8.7 - 9.3 inches in length. Males have a black head, nape and breast.

Upperparts, including wings and tail are slaty gray. Belly and flanks are bright orange, lower belly and vent are white. Bill, eye-ring, legs and feet are orange- yellow. Eyes are dark brown and there is a small bare area behing the eye, more or less visible.

Females have dark olive-brown head and upperparts, buffy-white submoustachial stripe and throat, and blackish-brown malar stripe. Their whitish breast is conspicuously spotted dark brown. Rest of underparts is similar to males.

Juveniles resemble females with fine spots and streaks on head to scapulars. There is an orange double wing bar formed by two rows of spots.On the underparts, the spotting extends from breast to pale orange flanks. The bare parts are duller.

CALL: A resounding “tup-tup tup-tup- tup-tup…” often repeated.
Alarm call is similar but harsher, ending in slurred “tock”.

SONG: A melodious, sweet, mellow series of short, unhurried phrases of 3 - 8 notes “tew-tew weet… tew-tew- tiwi… piuu-piuu-piuu… wirriwiwu iih…". It is often delivered for several hours.

Feeds on insects, snails, slugs and other invertebrates. It usually forages alone, but several birds may gather at fruiting trees. It also consumes berries and ripe figs.

Occurs in tropical and subtropical regions. Breeds in moist or damp evergreen woods and forests with thick undergrowth layer.

Winters in scrub-jungle and mangroves.

Found in North-eastern India, Myanmar, Southern China, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Nest is usually placed in fork in small tree or shrub, but may occasionally be found on the ground, and even in a hole in bank. It is a sturdy cup-shaped structure made with green moss and plant fibers. It is placed between one and six meters above the ground.

The female lays 3 - 4 eggs buff, pale green or greenish-blue with dark markings. Incubation lasts about 12 - 14 days.

SOURCES:
http://www.oiseaux-birds.com
https://en.wikipedia.org