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Mountain Thrush
JWN Andrewes

Mountain Thrush (Turdus abyssinicus)

Either a subspecies of Olive Thrush or a species in its own right, I can't find any pictures of this taxon in the gallery so I thought I'd contribute this. I also couldn't find mention of it in the Opus.
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Habitat
Hotel garden
Location
Fairview Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya
Date taken
June 2006
Scientific name
Turdus abyssinicus
IanF
Great capture. I can't find it's place in Opus either . Some regard it as a split but I'm not sure about SM which we use. I've posted a query in the Opus forum hoping some of our more knowledgeable members may be able to clarify.
 
michha62
Well done - its very nice to see this bird.
Certainly often treated as a split, but i have my doubts. Very obvious differences at high altitude but there certainly seems to be overlap at lower altitudes, where it is difficult to tell if the beak is red, orange or yellow and indeed if the bird is an olive or mountain Thrush. Sinclair treats it as a separate species and lists it as the one species present in Ethiopia, but south of the Horn of Africa, the situation becomes more complicated.
 
IanF
Just been clairifed it's not been confirmed as a split yet by SM but I've added it to Opus as a subspecies of Olive Thrush. No doubt it maybe split in due course.
 
JWN Andrewes
Thanks for the info chaps. I have it as a full species in the Sinclair guide to the birds of Africa, but had a feeling that that might be not universally accepted. Given how common and approachable they were in Nairobi I was somewhat surprised that there weren't already photos of any on Birdforum. I've got a shot of a recently fledged bird that I'll see about getting uploaded sometime.

James
 
tetoneon
Very interesting image and commentaries on this one James. Thanks for ID'ing my Nashville Warbler. Tetoneon
 
Doc Duck
Supporter
Looks quite similar to the American Robin or the Rufous-Breasted Thrush of South America. Similar ... but different. Lovely shot!
 

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Category
Africa
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JWN Andrewes
Date added
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