- Psophocichla litsipsirupa
Turdus litsipsirupa
Identification
Length 22-24 cm (8½-9½ in); mass 71-84 g. A thrush of open habitats with an upright stance and shortish tail.
Upper parts pale grey-brown; bold black-and-white face markings; underparts white or off-white with distinct black teardrop spots.
Similar species
The Spotted Ground-Thrush differs in being a forest thrush with two bold wing-bars, a longer tail and a more horizontal stance. The Song Thrush also has a longer tail and a more horizontal stance, and has brown ear-coverts.
Distribution
Southern and eastern Africa
Western Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola
Eastern Africa: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland
Taxonomy
This species seems to be the closest relative of the Turdus thrushes.
Subspecies
Four subspecies are recognized:1,2
- P. l. litsipsirupa
- North-eastern and north-central South Africa, eastern Botswana, Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique
- P. l. pauciguttata
- P. l. stierlingi
- P. l. simensis
Habitat
Open woodland, savanna and montane grassland.
Behaviour
Forages on the ground in short grass, burnt grass or on bare soil; eats invertebrates.
Breeding
Monogamous; co-operative breeding recorded. The nest is a cup of plant material built in a tree, 2-9 m above the ground. Two to four eggs are laid and incubated for 14-15 days by both sexes. Parasitised by African Cuckoo.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Hockey, PAR, WRJ Dean, and PG Ryan, eds. 2005. Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa. 7th ed. Cape Town: John Voelcker Bird Book Fund. ISBN 978-0620340533
- Sinclair, I and P Ryan. 2003. Birds of Africa South of the Sahara. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691118154
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Groundscraper Thrush. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Groundscraper_Thrush
