Red-legged thrush
{{short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Av Red-legged Thrush JG.jpg
| image_caption = T. p. ardosiaceus in the Dominican Republic
| image2 = Av Red-Legged Thrush (bahamas) JG.jpg
| image2_caption = nominate T. p. ardosiaceus in Grand Bahama
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| taxon = Turdus plumbeus
| synonyms =
| range_map = Turdus plumbeus map.svg
}}
The red-legged thrush (Turdus plumbeus) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. Native to the Caribbean, it is found in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti) and Puerto Rico. It formerly occurred on the Swan Islands, Honduras, but was extirpated there.
In Puerto Rico, the red-legged thrush is known as zorzal de patas coloradas.
Taxonomy
The red-legged thrush was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under its current binomial name Turdus plumbeus.{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | authorlink=Carl Linnaeus | year=1758 | title= Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | volume=1| edition=10th | page=169 | publisher=Holmiae:Laurentii Salvii | language=Latin | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727076 }} Linnaeus based his account of the "red leg'd thrush" that had been described and illustrated by the English naturalist Mark Catesby in his book The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands.{{ cite book | last=Catesby | first=Mark | author-link=Mark Catesby | year=1729–1732 | title=The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands | volume=1 | location=London | publisher=W. Innys and R. Manby | language=English, French | page=30, Plate 30 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40753206 }}{{ cite book | editor1-last=Mayr | editor1-first=Ernst | editor1-link=Ernst Mayr | editor2-last=Paynter | editor2-first=Raymond A. Jr | year=1964 | title=Check-List of Birds of the World | volume=10 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=208 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14486397 }} The specific epithet is Latin meaning "leaden", "plumbeous" or "lead-coloured".{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=310 | url=https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n310/mode/1up }}
Six subspecies are recognised:
- T. p. plumbeus – Linnaeus, 1758: nominate; found on the northern Bahamas islands.
- T. p. schistaceus – (Baird, S.F., 1864): found in eastern Cuba. Has beige-orange color on rear flanks and vent area. Bill is dark red with dusky tip.
- T. p. rubripes – Temminck, 1826: found in central and western Cuba and on Isla de la Juventud. Has more white in throat and malar area. It also has orange lower flanks, belly and vent.
- T. p. coryi – (Sharpe, 1902): found on the Cayman Islands. Paler and with less orange on underparts than T. p. rubripes.
- T. p. ardosiaceus – Vieillot, 1822: found on Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti) and Puerto Rico. Has darker underparts and less white in the undertail.
- T. p. albiventris – Sclater, PL, 1889: found on Dominica. Has orange bill, feet and eye ring.
The IUCN Red List considers T. p. rubripes and T. p. ardosiaceus to be their own species, as the western red-legged thrush and eastern red-legged thrush, respectively.{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=Turdus rubripes |volume=2016 |page=e.T103891941A104357876 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103891941A104357876.en |access-date=17 November 2021}}{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=Turdus ardosiaceus |volume=2016 |page=e.T103891946A104358193 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103891946A104358193.en |access-date=17 November 2021}}
Description
This large thrush measures {{convert|27|cm|in|abbr=on}} and weighs approximately {{convert|75|g|oz|abbr=on}}, depending on subspecies. It is mainly bluish-grey above and lighter-grey below with a white and black throat with a striped appearance. The legs, bill and eye ring are bright orange-red. There is notable variation in plumage between the subspecies.
Habitat
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest. This species may be considered the Caribbean counterpart of the American robin, as it has similar habits, including being a common visitor to gardens and lawns.
{{external media|topic=Red-legged thrush call|float=right|width=230px|audio1=[http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/caribbean/wildlife-facts/2006/wildlife-facts_sounds_2006/red-legged_thrush.wav Red-legged thrush call]}}
Diet
Gallery
Red-legged thrush (Turdus plumbeus rubripes) chest.JPG|T. p. rubripes
Cuba
Red-legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus) RWD.jpg|T. p. ardosiaceus
Puerto Rico
Turdus plumbeus in Dominica-a01a.jpg|T. p. albiventris
Dominica
==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
}}
External links
{{Commons category|Turdus plumbeus}}
- [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/collections/contributors/grzimek_birds/Turdidae/Turdus_plumbeus/ Red-legged thrush Image] at [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu Animal Diversity Web]
- {{BirdLife|22708838|Turdus plumbeus}}
- {{InternetBirdCollection|red-legged-thrush-turdus-plumbeus|Red-legged thrush}}
- {{VIREO|Red-legged+thrush}}
- {{NeotropicalBirds|relthr1|Red-legged thrush}}
- {{IUCN_Map|22708838|Turdus plumbeus}}
- {{Xeno-canto species|Turdus|plumbeus|Red-legged thrush}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q908489}}
Category:Endemic birds of the Caribbean
Category:Birds of the Dominican Republic
Category:Birds of the Cayman Islands