Varied thrush
| Varied thrush | |
|---|---|
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| Male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Turdidae |
| Genus: |
Ixoreus Bonaparte, 1854 |
| Species: | I. naevius |
| Binomial name | |
|
Ixoreus naevius Gmelin, 1789 |
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| Subspecies | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Zoothera naevia |
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Zoothera naevia
The varied thrush (Ixoreus naevius) is a member of the thrush family, Turdidae.
The German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin described the varied thrush in 1789. Four subspecies are recognised:
The genus name Ixoreus comes from the Ancient Greek ixos, "mistletoe". This was a synonym of a former name for the mockingbird genus, Mimus; the genus creator Bonaparte assumed wrongly that, because Swainson had shown a mockingbird and this thrush on the same plate of his book, they were related. The specific naevius is Latin for "spotted" from naevus, " spot".
The varied thrush is a fairly large thrush species. It can range from 20 to 26 cm (7.9 to 10.2 in) in length and can span 34 to 42 cm (13 to 17 in) across the wings. Body mass can vary from 65 to 100 g (2.3 to 3.5 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 11.8 to 13.6 cm (4.6 to 5.4 in), the bill is 1.8 to 2.3 cm (0.71 to 0.91 in) and the tarsus is 2.9 to 3.3 cm (1.1 to 1.3 in). It is similar in size to the widespread American robin, though the varied is on average shorter with a heavier, more robust build. In general, varied thrushes feature intense orange and black feathers. Adult males exhibit medium orange with a curved gray pattern at the breasts and throats, with grayish-blue tail ends, scruffs, and crowns. They also possess a tufted supraloral stripe and streaks of dark colors on its flight feathers. Its bill is also achromatic, but tan near the bottom of the lower jaw. Its legs are often tawny or dark brown. Females' markings are not as well-defined, with olive-browns and grays, brown hind feathers, and indiscernible gray-brown plumage near the breasts. Young varied thrushes are generally brown, though their stomach feathers are white, and initially harbor two orange stripes at the covert feathers.
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Wikipedia