- Geokichla princei
Identification
21–22 cm; Drab, greyish, short tailed forest thrush.
Upperparts brownish grey. Lores and ear-coverts pale greyish buff with 2 bold, blackish vertical bars, one through the eye and one at the rear of the ear coverts. A thin dark moustachial stripe connects with the stripe through the eye. Chin and throat pale buffish grey. Breast, belly and flanks washed dirty, warm brown. Vent and undertail coverts white.
Broad white wingbar on the median coverts, narrower one on the greater coverts. Thin ochre-ish margins to secondaries shows as a faint panel in good, close views. Primaries and tail both dark brown.
Bare parts: broad white eye ring, split by vertical bar, black bill (only thrush in area with a black bill). Legs and feet: pinkish horn (with a slight purple component).
Distribution
Found in West and Central Africa from Liberia over Cameroon and Zaire to Uganda.
Taxonomy
Formerly placed in genus Zoothera, sometimes also in genus Turdus or Pseudoturdus.
Subspecies
Two subspecies recognized:
- G. p. princei from Liberia to Ivory Coast and Ghana
- G. p. batesi in east Zaire and western Uganda
Habitat
Dense lowland forest and riverine forests. Occurs at heights between 550 m to 610 m.
Behaviour
Exceptionally secretive.
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of invertebrates and insects, including worms, snails, millipedes and grasshoppers.
Vocalisation
Gives thin, high "seep" when disturbed. Song unknown.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved March 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Grey Ground Thrush. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Grey_Ground_Thrush
