Dusky Thrush Turdus eunomus Scientific name definitions

23–25 cm; 55–106 g. Male  is boldly blackish and white on head, with black of crown  and ear-coverts meeting on nape, whitish supercilium  , subocular line, broad submoustachial and throat  , narrow black-spotted malar streak; upperparts  blackish with narrow rufous scalloping, rufous wings ; blackish on breast and flanks , increasingly broad whitish scalloping on latter towards vent, off-white belly to vent; bill dark, yellow lower mandible; legs dark brown. Inter­me­diates with T. naumanni occur in extensive contact zone between breeding popula­tions, many resembling present species but with mantle, back and scapulars heavily washed deep copper-brown, median and greater wing-coverts golden-brown. Female  is like male, but brown above and on head, no rufous in wings  , less white on throat. Juvenile is as adult, but extensively spotted buff above and blackish below, without adult’s black breastband; first-winter like female, but with blackish feather centres on much of upperparts.

• Dusky x Naumann's Thrush (hybrid) Turdus eunomus x naumanni

NC & NE Siberia from lower R Yenisey E to W Chukotka and Kamchatka; S limit uncertain but includes middle Angara basin, middle and upper R Podkamennaya Tunguska and upper R Lena, and possibly S to L Baikal, and extending E to at least upper Vitim. Non-breeding from NE India E to N Vietnam (E Tonkin), SE & E China (mainly S of Yangtze basin), Taiwan, Korea and Japan.

Breeds in lowland tundra edges, scrub, dense riverine stands of willow (Salix) and poplar (Populus) and wooded steppe, sometimes open coniferous woodland, and also reaching more open areas; habitat similar to that of T. naumanni, but generally extending into more montane terrain. Winters in hillside scrub, open grassy areas, sparse woodland, cultivated farmland, orchards and grassland with scattered trees, suburban parks and gardens, from foothills to 3000 m.

Migratory. Winters from S Japan and Taiwan S & W through S China, NW Thailand, N Myanmar and E Himalayan foothills; small numbers winter in E Siberia. Quits Kamchatka Peninsula first half Sept, with passage in Ussuriland mid-Sept to mid-Oct and around Krasnoyarsk (SC Siberia) early Oct. In NE China, main autumn passage in Heilongjiang Sept and first three weeks Oct, but in Beidaihe mid-Oct to mid-Nov (c. 2 weeks later than that of T. naumanni); bypasses Korean Peninsula in autumn, but occurs in S Korea in Apr. Large flocks arrive in Japan late Sept, with peak from mid-Oct to Nov, spreading down to lower elevations to reach Kanto Plain and other lowland areas farther S for winter; spring passage covers mid-Mar to early May. In Hong Kong a scarce winter visitor, with 89% of records Jan–Mar; pattern rather irregular and irruptive. Winters in low numbers in Himalayas (rare and irregular in W, scarce in E) from N Pakistan E to NE India. Spring passage extends from mid-Mar in Russian Far East, where generally a few days later than T. naumanni, reportedly not appearing around L Khanka (SE Russia) until last third of Apr and continuing through into mid-May; arrives on breeding grounds middle to end May. Vagrants recorded Europe, Middle East, Philippines (1 Urriza, R.C. (2013). Dusky Thrush Turdus eunomus: first record for the Philippines. BirdingASIA. 20: 115–116. Close ) and NW North America.

Stomachs from China, in period Apr–Nov, held beetles (Coleoptera), locusts (Locustidae), insect larvae and plant seeds; in Nov–Feb, fruits and seeds, including juniper (Juniperus) and ash (presumably Fraxinus), but also beetles, ants (Hymenoptera), earthworms and spiders. On passage in Russia, takes chiefly grapes and buckthorn berries, also rowanberries. Forages largely on ground .

Song  , by male from high in tree, a series of short, loud, musical phrases of 3–5 notes which include rich melancholy flutings, downslurred whistles and dry trills, also sometimes much more sustained and rich, with quality reminiscent of song of Luscinia megarhynchos, T. merula or T. philomelos, “veet tyulir-tyulir fru-fru fir-fee veet-veet tyulir-tyulir che-che-che-che veet-veet-veet fru-fru- pryupee-pryupee…”; apparently more powerful and varied than that of T. naumanni (but latter inadequately known, and comparison therefore provisional). Calls  include subdued staccato “chuck” notes in mild alarm or as warning, strident rhythmic “chek-chek-chek-chek” e.g. when going to roost, conversational “kveveg” or “wäwä” for contact (often in flight) when often becomes variable musical chattering, also dry shrill rasping “shrrrt!” or “spirr” on flushing.

May/Jun–Aug. Nest a crude cup of various grasses, twigs and moss, mixed with mud and lined with fine grass, placed up to 5 m above ground, but often below 1 m, in small isolated tree. Eggs 4–6, greenish-blue with reddish-brown streaks. No other information.

Not globally threatened. Common. In winter rare in N Korea, commoner in S Korea (mainly spring). Common to abundant on S Kurils, Hokkaido , Honshu, Sado, Shikoku, Kyushu and the smaller islands of Japan; has recovered from the persecution that lasted until 1947, when up to 5 million taken annually for the grilled-bird trade, which considerably suppressed wintering numbers. In China, the most abundant thrush in winter in Fujian and common in Shanghai area. Scarce visitor in Myanmar, NW Thailand, N Vietnam. Hunted for food in rural China.