Ashy thrush
| Ashy thrush | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ashy thrush at La Mesa Eco Park, Quezon City. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Turdidae |
| Genus: | Geokichla |
| Species: | G. cinerea |
| Binomial name | |
| Geokichla cinerea | |
| Synonyms | |
| Zoothera cinerea | |
The ashy thrush (Geokichla cinerea), also known as the ashy ground-thrush, is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is endemic to the Philippines in Luzon and Mindoro. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss, and the illegal wildlife trade.
Description and taxonomy
[edit]
EBird describes the bird as "A medium-sized bird of lowland and foothill forest. Forages on the ground. Ashy-gray above with black-and-white bars in the wing and the face. Underparts white, with black spots concentrated in the chest. Similar to White's thrush and Sunda thrush, but smaller, with spots rather than scales below and an obvious black vertical bar through the eye. Song is a simple medium-pitched whistled melody. Also gives harsh grating calls."[2]
This species is monotypic.
Ecology and behaviour
[edit]In 2012, these birds were discovered to be present in the La Mesa Ecopark which is close to the heart of Metro Manila and is the main site where these birds are observed (80% of all EBird records) and studied, thus most of this information is from this subpopulation. [2]
These are ground birds and eat earthworms and other small insects. It has also been recorded feeding on figs.
Breeds in March to June. Average clutch size is two to three eggs. It has been recorded to breed in La Mesa Ecopark.[3]
This species has been recorded in the migrant bottleneck in Dalton Pass which suggests either post breeding dispersal or possibly a yearly intra-island migration between Cordillera Centra and Sierra Madre. More research is needed to understand this species' movement and ecology. [4]
Habitat and conservation status
[edit]It is found in tropical moist primary and secondary forest with a large majority up to 1,100 meters above sea level with a few records up to 1,560 meters above sea level.[5]
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed this bird as vulnerable with the population estimated to be 6,000 to 15,000 mature individuals with the population declining. While this species is easily found and observed in La Mesa Ecopark, where these birds may be more habituated to humans, elsewhere, this species is rare and elusive. This species' main threat is habitat loss with wholesale clearance of forest habitats as a result of logging, agricultural conversion, road development and mining activities occurring within the range. It may also suffer from hunting with snares in the Sierra Madre and illicit bird-trapping at Dalton Pass may exert a considerable pressure.
It occurs in the protected areas Angat Watershed Forest Reserve, Quezon Protected Landscape, Mount Makiling National Park and Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park however, like most areas in the Philippines, protection is lax and deforestation and hunting persist even in these areas.
References
[edit]- ^ BirdLife International (2017). "Geokichla cinerea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22708367A110214743. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22708367A110214743.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Ashy Ground Thrush". Ebird. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020.
- ^ Macasiano, Dr Clemn A. Jr. "FIRST OBSERVATIONS OF AN ASHY GROUND THRUSH NEST – Wild Bird Club of the Philippines". Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ Collar, Nigel (2020). "Ashy Thrush (Geokichla cinerea), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.ashthr1.01species_shared.bow.project_name. ISSN 2771-3105.
- ^ Allen, Desmond (2020). Birds of the Philippines. Barcelona: Lynx and Birdlife Guides International. pp. 314–315.
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