Alternative names: Bare-eyed Robin; Bare-eyed Thrush; Yellow-eyed Thrush
- Turdus nudigenis
Identification
Upperparts are plain brown, with underside lighter. Throat is striped with white and brown, but a much more obvious field mark is the large yellow eyering that consists of bare facial skin. The bill is yellow. The color of the brown parts can vary quite a bit, some of the variation might be dependent on light quality, but some may also depend on geographic variation.
Similar Species
The yellow eyering is shared with Ecuadorian Thrush (no overlap in range) and with Forest Thrush, but the latter species has underside scaled in brown and white.
Distribution
Northern Brazil to Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and the southern Lesser Antilles reaching at least to Guadeloupe. This bird has been spreading north through the Lesser Antilles for example arriving in Martinique in 1951.
Taxonomy
Two subspecies are recognized[1]:
- T. n. nudigens in the Lesser Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago, and northern South America to the Amazon river from Colombia to the Guianas
- T. n. extimus in Brazil south of the Amazon
Ecuadorian Thrush is included in this species by some authorities, but the Opus follow a majority among world-wide checklists according to which it is split.
Naming
This species has in the Americas traditionally been known as Bare-eyed Robin or Bare-eyed Thrush, and those are the names mostly used in local field guides. However, Bare-eyed Thrush on a world wide basis refer to the African species Turdus tephronotus. Therefore, the South American Classification Committee and IOC have changed to Spectacled Thrush, which seems to be the name of the future for this species (Yellow-eyed Thrush is a misnomer as the eye is not yellow).
Habitat
It seems mainly to occur in cultivated areas and open dry forest in Dominica, while the Forest Thrush is found in old growth rainforest.
Behaviour
This thrush is agressive towards other similar birds and has been suspected as a culprit in the near extinction of Forest Thrush from St. Lucia.
Nesting
Nesting usually happens May-August (in Trinidad and Tobago) Nest is usually built in a strong branch fork 6-25 feet above ground. Clutch averages almost 3 eggs, and sometimes, two clutches occur per year.
References
- Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
- SACC proposal to change name from Yellow-eyed Thrush to Spectacled Thrush
- SACC proposal to split Ecuadorian Thrush from the current species
- Richard ffrench. 1991. A guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Comstock/Cornell Paperbacks. ISBN 0-8014-9792-2
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Spectacled Thrush. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Spectacled_Thrush
