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Orange Ground-Thrush Geokichla gurneyi Scientific name definitions

Nigel Collar
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2005

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

18–23 cm; 44–82 g. Nominate race is very like G. piaggiae, including double white-spotted wingbars, but solid ­olive-brown from forehead to tail, with interrupted white eyering, smudged brown sub­ocular vertical stripe on grey-brown cheek and rear of ear-coverts, rufous-orange lores and underparts, with white mid-belly to undertail-coverts; bill dark; legs pale flesh. Sexes similar. Juvenile is mid-brown with buff streaks above, russet-brown with dark scaling below, face pattern and wingbars much as adult but buffier. Racial variation slight: chuka is slightly larger, longer-billed and darker above, with greyer head; raineyi is like nominate but paler above and on ear-coverts, heavier subocular smudge; otomitra resembles previous, but slightly paler grey on crown and ear-coverts; disruptans is slightly smaller than nominate, with upperparts olive-brownish except for russet-tinged rump.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Often treated as conspecific with G. crossleyi, in part owing to vocal similarity, but plumage differences favour treatment as separate species. Proposed races chyulu (from Chyulu Mts, in SE Kenya) and usambarae (from Mlalo, near Wilhelmstal, in N Tanzania) synonymized with raineyi. Five subspecies recognized.

Subspecies

SUBSPECIES

Geokichla gurneyi otomitra Scientific name definitions

Distribution

W Angola (Namba Mts (1), Mt Moco), SE DRCongo (Upemba National Park), Tanzania, NE Zambia and N Malawi.
SUBSPECIES

Geokichla gurneyi chuka Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Mt Kenya and Kikuyu Escarpment.
SUBSPECIES

Geokichla gurneyi raineyi Scientific name definitions

Distribution

SE Kenya (Chyulu and Taita Hills) and N Tanzania.
SUBSPECIES

Geokichla gurneyi disruptans Scientific name definitions

Distribution

C Malawi S to Mozambique, E Zimbabwe, NE South Africa and N Swaziland.
SUBSPECIES

Geokichla gurneyi gurneyi Scientific name definitions

Distribution

E South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal S to Eastern Cape).

Distribution

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Habitat

Primary montane forest, even very small patches, generally avoiding second growth, edge habitats and exotic plantations where soils relatively dry; in South Africa mainly Podocarpus forests in mist belt, where favours moister parts near streams, often on steep slopes in deep, narrow kloofs, especially where relative open understorey and a carpet of dead leaves. Exceptional in riverine forest and streamside scrub. In Chyulu Hills, in Kenya, found in damp undergrowth, especially around Connophyringia trees, and in general requires thick leaf litter. Keeps mainly to ground and understorey. Altitudinal range variable: 1830–2300 m in C Kenya, but 1370–2140 m in Chyulu Hills; 1600–2500 m in Tanzania, but to 1900 m in Udzungwas, 1500–2000 m in North Pares and Ulugurus, 900–1200 in E Usambaras, down to 920 m on Ngurus, up to 2400 m on Mt Meru; in Malawi, 1450–2350 m in N and 1200–2200 m in S; 1590–2140 m in Zimbabwe, but below 1220 m in S; 1250–1750 m in SE DRCongo; 1800–2400 m on Mt Moco, in Angola; 500–1980 m in South Africa. On Mt Kenya, occurs mainly in wetter forest below 2000 m, being replaced by Z. piaggiae above 2300 m in drier areas.

Movement

Mainly sedentary, but partial altitudinal migrant. Very occasionally recorded on Kenyan and (once) Tanzanian coast, and at unusually low elevations in Zimbabwe (e.g. Haroni-Rusitu, 350 m, May–Jul), Malawi (Jun–Jul) and Mozambique; records at 260–280 m on Mrima Hill, in Kenya, 450 m in E Usambaras, in Tanzania, and 550 m at Yembe Hill, in Malawi. Wet-season records from coastal forest in Tanzania, however, suggest possibility of small resident populations at low altitudes. Nominate race and disruptans probably move altitudinally in S Africa, where former occurs in Eastern Cape coastal forests during winter.

Diet and Foraging

Invertebrates and vegetable matter; some vertebrates. Chiefly earthworms, but also millipedes, molluscs, woodlice, insects (including beetles, crickets, flies and larvae), and small amphibians; berries, seeds, fruit, including fallen fruits such as figs. Takes larvae of flies in fallen fruit of Connophyringia trees. Vegetable matter accounts for 20% of diet in Kenya, but rare in diet in South Africa. Occasionally follows ant swarms, and associates with mole-rats (Cryptomys), which also flush litter-dwelling invertebrates. Forages on ground, scratching leaves with feet and tossing them with bill; investigates rotting logs. Partly crepuscular. Dominated by larger Turdus olivaceus in aggressive encounters when foraging.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Song (Kenya) varies from short, simple series of unrepeated phrases, “tu turii kiiu-turl” or “wurii tu-tu”, to a series of very variable phrases of 5–18 rich fluting whistles, each phrase repeated 3–5 times before new one adopted, and usually finished with barely audible high “riii-iii turiii-tu, riii-iii turiii-tu, erriii tu-tu riiii, erriii tu-tu riiii”; mellower and slower than song of G. piaggiae, but in S of range (nominate, disruptans) more rambling, repetitive song recalling that of Tychaedon signata and often given at dusk. Call is a hissing trill, “tsirrt” or “querk”, a chuckling “curiik” or low “tseek” when flushed, buzzy “bzie-e-e-e-ie” when food-carrying; at dusk, gives a brief “ti-tue-tue-tuu-wii-to”.

Breeding

Jan and May in Kenya, Aug and Dec in Tanzania, Oct–Jan in Malawi, Nov–Dec in Mozambique and Sept–Jan (peak Dec) in Zimbabwe; in South Africa, Oct–Nov in N and Oct–Jan in KwaZulu-Natal; approaching breeding condition Sept in Angola. Nest a bulky cup of twigs, roots, leaves, fern fronds and especially dead and green moss (sometimes growing moss incorporated), lined with rootlets, moss, etc., placed 0·3–4 m up (usually below 2 m), most often in sapling, or on stump, in fold in trunk, in vine tangle, tree-fern crown, bush or mossy bank, sometimes near footpath or over stream; often conspicuous. Eggs 1–3 (usually 2), turquoise or blue with reddish to brownish spots and lilac blotches; incubation period 15 days; nestling period 14–19 days; post-fledging dependence several months. In sample of 12 eggs (in six clutches), fledging success 25%; may lay up to three replacements. Adult survival rate over two years was 86%.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Scarce to locally common. Classified as “Near-threatened” in South Africa; no evidence of decline during 1970s-1990s, but dependent on forest protection. Densities 46 pairs (or 138 individuals)/km² in Udzungwa Mts (Tanzania), 20–50 pairs/km² on Nyika Plateau (Malawi), but equivalent of 90 pairs/km² (4 pairs in 4·5 ha) in NE South Africa. Recorded from Arusha National Park, in Tanzania.
Distribution of the Orange Ground-Thrush - Range Map
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Distribution of the Orange Ground-Thrush

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Collar, N. (2020). Orange Ground-Thrush (Geokichla gurneyi), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.orgthr1.01
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