True thrushes | |
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Male common blackbird | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Turdidae |
Genus: |
Turdus Linnaeus, 1758 |
Species | |
Some 65, and see text. |
Some 65, and see text.
True thrushes are medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus Turdus of the thrush family, Thrush. The genus name Turdus is Latin for "thrush".
The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Several species have also colonised some oceanic islands, and two species have been introduced to New Zealand. Several species are migratory.
While some species are often split out of Turdus, the two small thrushes formerly separated in Platycichla by many authors have been restored to the present genus in recent years.
Eighty-two extant species are recognized:
Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus Turdus: