Sooty thrush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sooty thrush |
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Turdus
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nigrescens
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The sooty thrush (Turdus nigrescens) is a cool bird that lives in the high mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama. It's a type of thrush, which is a family of birds known for their beautiful songs. This bird used to be called the sooty robin.
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Discover the Sooty Thrush
The sooty thrush is a common bird found in open areas and near oak forests. It usually lives at high altitudes, often above 2,200 meters (about 7,200 feet) where the air is cooler.
Life Cycle and Nesting
These birds build strong, cup-shaped nests using grass. They place their nests in trees, usually about 2 to 8 meters (6 to 26 feet) off the ground. The female sooty thrush lays two eggs between March and May. The eggs are a pretty greenish-blue color and don't have any spots.
What Does the Sooty Thrush Look Like?
The sooty thrush is a medium-sized bird, about 24 to 25.5 centimeters (9.4 to 10 inches) long. It weighs around 96 grams (about 3.4 ounces), which is about the same as a small apple.
Male vs. Female Sooty Thrush
- Adult males are mostly brownish-black. Their wings and tail are black. They have a black patch between their orange beak and their eye. Their legs and the ring around their eye are bright orange, and their eyes are a light grey color.
- Adult females look similar to males but are a bit browner and lighter in color. Their beaks, legs, and eye rings are yellow-orange.
- Young sooty thrushes (juveniles) look like the adult females. However, they have buff or orange streaks on their head and upper body, and dark spots on their belly.
Who Are Its Relatives?
There are two other birds that look a bit like the sooty thrush and live in the same areas:
- The mountain thrush is completely brown and has dark legs and beak.
- The clay-colored robin is much lighter in color and has a yellow beak.
How Does the Sooty Thrush Behave?
The sooty thrush acts a lot like other thrushes, such as the American robin. It spends its time looking for food on the ground, either alone or in pairs. It moves by hopping and dashing, stopping often to look around.
What Does It Eat?
This bird turns over leaves and other bits on the ground to find insects and spiders. It also enjoys eating small fruits, especially those from plants like Ericaceae (which includes blueberries and cranberries) and Solanum (like tomatoes and potatoes, but the bird eats the small wild berries).
The Sooty Thrush's Voice
During the breeding season, the sooty thrush sings a gurgling, squeaky song that sounds like chuweek chuweek seechrrzit seechrrzit seechrrzit seechrrzit tseeur tseeur tseeur tseeur. When it makes a call, it sounds like a grating grrrrkk.
