Black Thrush Turdus infuscatus Scientific name definitions

Whilst the male Black Thrush is indeed all black, except for the yellow bill and legs, and pale eye-ring, females are dark brown, and rather paler brown below and over the head; the bill is dark, but the legs are orange-yellow. The Black Thrush, or Black Robin as it is otherwise known, is found from eastern and southern Mexico south to northern El Salvador, meaning that there is no range overlap with the other dark-plumaged Middle American thrush with an all-black male, the Sooty Thrush (Turdus nigrescens) of southern Central America. Unlike the latter species, the Black Thrush is mainly arboreal, feeding on fruits and insects, and sometimes gathering into small flocks. It inhabits humid evergreen or pine–oak forests at 1200–3500 m elevation.

21·5–24 cm; 71–81 g. Male is all black  , with bright yellow bill , eyering and legs, dark iris. Female  is dark brown, paler below, with buff preocular line above dark loral line, buff throat lightly streaked dark, pale orange underwing-coverts, darkish bill, yellowish eyering and legs. Juvenile is dark brown above, with orange-buff spots and streaks on shoulder, orange-buff with very vague dark brown spots below, spots densest on breast; first-year male (can breed) blackish with grey-brown feather tips, dark-streaked buff-white throat.

E & S Mexico S to Honduras and N El Salvador, possibly also adjacent Nicaragua.

Minor movements downslope in winter; in Sierra de Tecpam, in Guatemala, apparently present only Feb–Jun for breeding, presumably moving to lower, warmer regions for rest of year.

Insects, worms  and fruits, especially small berries. Occasionally forages on ground in clearings, but mainly arboreal feeder; gathers in loose flocks in fruiting trees.

Song a series of rich warbling phrases  , each repeated 2–3 times, smooth and mellow but with hesitant quality and, depending on singer, interspersed with trivial and harsh sounds and mimicry of other birds; some sing very beautiful songs, others deliver chattery garbled mediocre performances. Calls  include dry clucking “chuh-chuh-chuh-chuh-chuh”, harder “chehk-chehk”, and high thin “sii” flight note; alarm calls at nest same as those of T. migratorius.

Not globally threatened. Fairly common to common. Fairly common in all parts of Oaxaca, in S Mexico. In Honduras uncommon except in department of Ocotepeque, where common.