Scaly thrush
The scaly thrush is a member of the thrush family Turdidae.
Distribution and habitat
It breeds in dense wet forests in the Himalayas east through southwestern China to northern Indochina, and with disjunct populations on Iriomote Island off southern Japan, and on Sumatra and Java in Indonesia.Description
The sexes are similar, 27–31 cm long, with black scaling on a paler white or yellowish background. The most striking identification feature in flight is the black band on the white underwings, a feature shared with most other species in the genus Zoothera, and also Siberian thrush in the genus Geokichla. The male has a song which is a loud, far-carrying mechanical whistle, with 5-10 second pauses between each one second long phrase twee...tuuu....tuuu....tuuu.Taxonomy
Three subspecies are currently accepted:- Z. d. dauma — Himalayas east to southwest China, south to northern Thailand; a short-distance altitudinal migrant, dropping to foothills in winter
- Z. d. horsfieldi — Sumatra, Java, Bali, Lombok and Sumbawa; resident
- Z. d. iriomotensis — Iriomote Island; resident
- Z. aurea, including the subspecies Z. a. toratugumi, is a migratory bird from Siberia and north-east Asia, wintering in southeast Asia
- Z. neilgherriensis is resident in the hills of southwest India
- Z. imbricata is endemic to the hills of Sri Lanka and is particularly distinctive, being smaller, long-billed and rufous below
- Z. major is restricted to the Amami Islands in Japan
- Z. machiki in the Lesser Sunda Islands in eastern Indonesia
- Z. lunulata in eastern Australia
- Z. heinei in eastern Australia