Tickell's Thrush

Overview

Tickell's thrush (Turdus unicolor) is a small passerine bird in the thrush family, common in open forest across the Himalayas. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and commemorates the British ornithologist Samuel Tickell.

Identification

• A small thrush, 21–25 cm long, similar in size to the redwing or eyebrowed thrush but distinctly smaller than the Indian blackbird.
• Males have uniform blue-grey upperparts and a whitish belly and vent, while females and young birds have browner upperparts.
• Adults possess yellow beaks and legs, which may be darker in juveniles, along with a yellow eye-ring that is thinner and fainter than that of the Indian blackbird.

Habitat

This species breeds at middle altitudes between 1,200 and 2,700 m, rarely reaching 3,000 m, in the Himalayas from northeastern Afghanistan to western Bhutan. It inhabits broadleaf or mixed forests with clearings, including human-altered areas such as orchards and large gardens. Seasonal migration takes it to lower altitudes in Pakistan, India, Nepal, and rarely Bangladesh during winter.

Diet

The bird feeds on lawns within orchards and large gardens, but specific dietary components are not detailed in the provided reference material.

Did you know?

A single extralimital record from Heligoland in Germany on 15 October 1932 stands as one of the most unusual cases of vagrancy known.