WHITE’S THRUSH ZOOTHERA
DAUMA
Birds beginning with “Z” are not only rare alphabetically, but are super-rarities in Britain. The only other species on the British list are two sparrows, Zonotrichia leucophrys and Z. Albicollis all are rare vagrants (lost or accidental) with 100 records or less from Britain1.
White’s Thrush is a subspecies* of the scaly thrush Zoothera dauma subspecies aurea, named in honour of the famous British Victorian naturalist and Parson Gilbert White2. Whilst many thrushes have speckled breasts, scaly thrushes have black chevrons covering their whole body, giving them their namesake reptilian appearance. In flight they have striking black-and-white barred underwings and white tail edges. At 27-31cm long and 140 grams, they are the largest thrush to visit Britain2. Though it’s unlikely to be heard on British soil, the song is rather uneventful for a thrush, just a series ofspaced-out whistles.
Concerning the scientific name, you might think based on the uniqueness of the word and the bird’s appearance that it means something interesting. It doesn’t. ’ Zoothera’ translates into the vague “animal hunter”, confusing since the thrush is not particularly carnivorous. The origin of “dauma” is unknown!
The scaly thrush usually ranges across Asia, edging into Kazkhstan
and Western Russia4. They are forest birds, but span widely from the
sub-arctic conifer forests, or taiga in Siberia south to the tropical rainforests of Indonesia4. They spend
most of their time feeding on the ground, preferring to hide in undergrowth
where their plumage camouflages them well amongst leaf litter and dappled
shade. Like most thrushes, their diet is omnivorous including insects, worms,
slugs, snails and berries2.
White’s thrush itself breeds in the Russian taiga during the long northern summer days and takes a tropical winter retreat to South-East Asia5. They usually arrive in Britain when straying from their southward migration in September to November2.
Unsurprisingly given the distance from their normal range, White’s thrushes are classed as “accidental” in Britain, which, for birdwatchers translates into the more exciting-sounding “mega-rarity” and has twitchers flocking2ᵻ,. They are a challenging spot, since they are typically shy and flighty birds. The first known British record is from Hampshire in 1828 and between 1950 to 2007 only 38 records have been made2.
The very latest record at time of writing is from St Agnes in the Isles of Scilly last November5, (Appropriately to its namesake, in the Parsonage garden)where the closest I got to seeing one was a taxidermy specimen in the Scilly museum, killed on arrival there in December 18866.
White’s thrush itself breeds in the Russian taiga during the long northern summer days and takes a tropical winter retreat to South-East Asia5. They usually arrive in Britain when straying from their southward migration in September to November2.
Unsurprisingly given the distance from their normal range, White’s thrushes are classed as “accidental” in Britain, which, for birdwatchers translates into the more exciting-sounding “mega-rarity” and has twitchers flocking2ᵻ,. They are a challenging spot, since they are typically shy and flighty birds. The first known British record is from Hampshire in 1828 and between 1950 to 2007 only 38 records have been made2.
The very latest record at time of writing is from St Agnes in the Isles of Scilly last November5, (Appropriately to its namesake, in the Parsonage garden)where the closest I got to seeing one was a taxidermy specimen in the Scilly museum, killed on arrival there in December 18866.
Steve William's view-October 2013
EcoGeek's view- March 2013
Zoothera dauma brings us to the finale of the “Avian alphabet of the British Isles”. I have proudly seen it through to the end just as the new year begins. I plan to do a final round-up post, but for the next two weeks I’ll be away in Kenya on a University trip! Though not British, I will of course be covering the fantastic wildlife I will have hopefully seen when I return.
It may be the end of the alphabet, but it is not the end of Amateur Ecogeek. A huge thank you and a happy new year to all my readers!
*or separate species, depending on who you believe.
ᵻ “Twitcher” is too often
confused with bird watcher. Twitchers build lists of species they have seen as
a hobby (especially rare ones of course), and will travel great distances to
see an unusual bird. Birdwatchers simply enjoy watching birds, as it says on
the tin.
References
1- British Ornithologist’s Union. (2013) The British List: List of Species Occurring
in Britain. Available from: http://www.bto.org/about-birds/birdfacts/british-list
2- R.A. Robinson. (2005) BTO
BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring
in Britain & Ireland: White’s Thrush Zoothera dauma [Latham, 1790]. (BTO
Research Report 407). BTO, Thetford. Available from: http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob11700.htm
3-BirdLife International. (2014) Species factsheet: Zoothera dauma. Available from: http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=32154
4- Internet Bird Collection. (No date) Common Scaly Thrush (Zoothera dauma) . Available from: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/common-scaly-thrush-zoothera-dauma
5- Birdguides. (2014) White's
Thrush (Zoothera aurea).Available from: http://www.birdguides.com/species/species.asp?sp=130233
6- Steve Williams . (2013) Finders report: White's Thrush
St.Agnes Isles of Scilly Oct 2013. Available from: http://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/finders_report_whites_thrush_scilly.aspx?s_id=330753265
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