Creamy-bellied Thrush

Overview

The creamy-bellied thrush (Turdus amaurochalinus) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae, found across large parts of South America. It is classified by the IUCN as Least Concern, though its population is believed to be decreasing.

Identification

• Adults are 22 to 25 cm long with an olive-brown head, upperparts, wings, and tail, featuring black lores and a brown-streaked white throat.
• Underparts are typically grayish buff that transitions to creamy white on the belly and undertail coverts, while some individuals may have pure gray underparts.
• The bird possesses a dark iris, a yellowish bill during breeding that turns darker otherwise, and drab brown legs and feet.
• Its song is described as a simple, little varied, yet musical series of short notes such as 'tjurre', 'wurr', 'tjeeh', and 'tjut-tjeé'.

Habitat

This species inhabits a wide variety of semi-open to open landscapes, including cerrado, light forest, woodland edges, scrublands, and human-modified areas like farmland and gardens. It is primarily a bird of the lowlands but reaches elevations of up to 2,600 m in Bolivia. Its range covers Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, with vagrant records in Chile and the Falkland Islands.

Diet

The creamy-bellied thrush feeds on invertebrates and fruit. It forages mostly in trees but will also forage on the ground near cover.

Did you know?

The creamy-bellied thrush is subject to brood parasitism by the shiny cowbird, which lays its eggs in the thrush's nest.