Glossy-black Thrush

Overview

The glossy-black thrush (Turdus serranus) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae, classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. It is a sedentary resident found from Venezuela to Argentina.

Identification

• Adult males of the nominate subspecies are almost entirely glossy black with a yellow eye-ring and yellow bill; other subspecies may appear dark chocolate-brown or dark olive-brown.
• Adult females are sexually dimorphic, displaying a dark olive-brown head and upperparts with slightly paler and redder underparts, a brownish bill, and no eye-ring.
• Males sing an unmusical, rapidly mumbled song described as a "short and tirelessly repeated phrase that rises toward the end," often performed before dawn from an exposed perch.

Habitat

Found in the interior of subtropical and temperate landscapes, primarily humid to wet environments such as montane forest, cloudforest, and mature secondary forest, though it also inhabits dry forest in northwestern Peru. In Venezuela it ranges in elevation between 950 and 2,900 m, in Colombia between 1,400 and 3,000 m, and in Ecuador mostly between 1,500 and 2,800 m.

Diet

The glossy-black thrush feeds on fruits and berries, foraging almost entirely arboreally and seldom on the ground. It typically forages from the forest's mid-story to its canopy, often gathering in fruiting trees with small groups of the same and other species.

Did you know?

In northwestern Peru, this species is found in dry forest, a habitat distinct from the humid to wet environments it primarily occupies elsewhere. It may occasionally be heard calling out "tjick tjick tji-tji-tji" in flight or a rasping "rrrrrt-rrrrrt" when agitated at dusk.