- Catharus mexicanus
Identification
Male: upperside brownish grey to brownish olive, underside pale, upper half of head black with narrow orange eyering around dark eye. Bill orange and legs more yellow.
Female: as male but with browner crown.
Similar Species
When comparing with Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush, notice the pale eye on the latter.
Distribution
Central America: found in Northeastern Mexico south to western Panama.
Accidental vagrant to the United States in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas (1 record).
Taxonomy
Subspecies[1]
This is a polytypic species. consisting of three subspecies:
- C. m. mexicanus:
- Mountains of eastern Mexico (Tamaulipas to Veracruz and western Chiapas)
- C. m. cantator:
- C. m. fumosus:
- Highlands of Nicaragua to Costa Rica and western Panama
Habitat
Cloud Forest and other wet forest mostly at foothill elevation.
Behaviour
More often heard than seen. Spends most of its time at the forest floor.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Black-headed_Nightingale-Thrush
