Thrush Babbler Illadopsis turdina Scientific name definitions

16·5 cm; 59–73 g. Resembles large illadopsis but song and underparts very different; rather long, straight and slightly hooked bill, powerful legs. Nominate race has forehead rufous centrally, whitish laterally, crown to mantle and neck side rufous, scapulars and back rufescent brown, uppertail-coverts bright rufous, tail brown with rufous fringes basally; lores, chin and throat white, cheek and ear-coverts mottled white and rufous, and small rufous teardrops at side of throat; breast white with rufous-brown triangular spots, belly to vent white, flanks white with rufous-brown marks; iris reddish to brownish-grey; upper mandible blackish with bluish-grey tip, lower mandible pale blue-grey; legs pale pinkish-grey. Sexes similar. Juvenile has brownish-black bill with yellowish-green lower base; rather deeper rufous above, especially on tail and outer webs of flight-feathers. Race harterti is brighter rufous on tail than nominate; upembae is smaller, upperparts and spots on foreneck more olive-brownish.

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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.

Dense bush and grass thickets along edge of forest streams, undergrowth in gallery forest, moist evergreen riparian forest, lowland damp woodland and thickets. To 900 m in Cameroon and NE DRCongo, and to 1600 m in SE DRCongo.

Resident.

Invertebrates, including beetles (Coleoptera), grasshoppers (Orthoptera), caterpillars, cicadas (Cicadidae), small ants (Formicidae), termites (Isoptera), spiders (Araneae) and snails; also tiny frogs. Found in pairs or in small parties up to six individuals. Forages in undergrowth; strong legs suggest habitual terrestrial foraging, but only one such report to date.

Song, mainly at dawn and dusk, loud and melodious, like that of an oriole (Oriolus), including a fluid and beautiful bell-like “i-din, i-din” with second note higher than first; loud disconnected whistles (with oriole-like quality), “whiu-yu” or “kiu-yu”, delivered in 2–3 different keys; three evenly spaced whistles, “whoh tyaw tyaw”, last two downslurred, sometimes female instantly echoing in duet, “whoh/whoh tyaw/tyaw tyaw/tyaw…”. Tape-lured individual, presumably acting territo­rially, gave an extraordinary continuous babble. Low clucking calls, e.g. “chuck”, given in agitation; loud cackling and chattering also reported.

By inference, Jun–Nov in NE and Oct–Dec in S in DR Congo; birds in breeding condition in Feb in Angola; young juvenile in Oct in Zambia. No further information.

Not globally threatened. Uncommon to locally fairly common in Cameroon, Central African Republic and Sudan; present in Upemba National Park, in DRCongo; uncommon in Angola. Does not occur in any protected area in Zambia, and all known sites for this species subject to worrying levels of deforestation.