Alternative name: Gurney's Thrush
- Geokichla gurneyi
Zoothera gurneyi
Identification
Length 19-20 cm. Orange lores, throat, chest and flanks and white belly and vent; two white wing-bars; narrow white eye-ring with a faint vertical dark line passing through the eye.
Similar species: The Abyssinian Ground Thrush has more orange on the belly, a paler crown, a more distinct and complete white eye-ring, and lacks the dark line through the eye.
Distribution
Eastern and south-eastern Africa: Afromontane forests of Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe, and eastern South Africa.
Taxonomy
Sometimes considered conspecific with the Abyssinian Ground Thrush.
Formerly placed in genus Zoothera.
Subspecies
There are 5 subspecies[1]:
- G. g. otomitra:
- Angola (Mt. Moco) to Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and n Malawi
- G. g. chuka:
- Mt. Kenya and Kikuyu escarpment
- G. g. raineyi:
- Montane forests of se Kenya (Taita and Chyulu Hills)
- G. g. disruptans:
- central Malawi to Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe, northeastern South Africa (Limpopo), and northern Swaziland
- G. g. gurneyi:
- eastern South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape)
Habitat
At low levels in humid primary mountain forest.
Behaviour
Diet includes mainly insects, snails, worms, small amphibians and alike, but also some fruits and berries.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Orange Ground Thrush. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Orange_Ground_Thrush
