Family Thrushes (Turdidae)
Least Concern
Kurrichane Thrush (Turdus libonyana)
Taxonomy
French: Merle kurrichane German: Rotschnabeldrossel Spanish: Zorzal de Kurrichane
Taxonomy:
Merula Libonyana
A. Smith
, 1836,near Kurrichane, western Transvaal, South Africa
.
Subspecies and Distribution
T. l. tropicalis
W. K. H. Peters, 1881 – SE Burundi and Tanzania S to C & E Zambia, Malawi, E Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
T. l. verreauxii
Bocage, 1869 – #RAngola and SE DRCongo S to NE Namibia, W Zambia, N Botswana and W Zimbabwe.
T. l. libonyana
(A. Smith, 1836) – E & S Botswana E to S Mozambique, S to N & NE South Africa and Swaziland.
Descriptive notes
21–23 cm; 46–82 g. Head to breast and upperparts medium grey; throat white, streaked blackish at sides; orange-rufous flanks, whitish centre of belly;... read more
Voice
Song a series of short but very variable phrases, some rich and warbling, others thin and sweet,... read more
Habitat
Mainly miombo woodland, also Baikiaeia and acacia woodland (but not on Kalahari sands),... read more
Food and feeding
Mainly invertebrates, particularly insects, including beetles, grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, ants, grubs and caterpillars, last... read more
Breeding
Oct–Nov in Angola, Sept–Nov in Tanzania and Sept–Dec in DRCongo; Aug–Dec (mainly Sept–Nov), rarely Mar–... read more
Movements
Sedentary over most of range. Dispersal noted into SE Botswana Dec–Mar, and post-breeding... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Common in most of range; uncommon in Tanzania and parts of Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Rare at edges of range at higher... read more
Sister to T. bewsheri. Hybridization with T. olivaceus claimed in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Proposed race chobiensis (from N Botswana and W Zimbabwe) considered indistinguishable from verreauxii, and peripheris (E South Africa) from nominate. Original spelling misquoted in HBW and elsewhere#R as “libonyanus”; correct original spelling now applied, and this is invariable#R#R#R. Three subspecies recognized.