Grey-winged Blackbird

Overview

The grey-winged blackbird is a species of Turdus in the thrush family, found in the mountains of southern and eastern Asia. It is a large thrush characterised by distinct sexual dimorphism in its plumage.

Identification

• Large thrush, 28–29 cm long and 88–111 g in weight.
• Males are black with faint pale fringes on the belly and a broad grey patch on the wing coverts, secondaries, and tertials.
• Females are plain brown with a hint of paler brown on the wings.
• Males have a bright yellow bill and narrow yellow eye ring, while females have a dull yellow to brownish bill and a greyish eye ring.

Habitat

Found in the mountains of southern and eastern Asia from the Himalayas to northern Vietnam. Its natural habitat is in the middle altitudes of subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, mostly at 1800–2700 m, but occasionally down to 1200 m in winter and as high as 3300 m in summer.