White-chinned thrush explained

The white-chinned thrush, known in Jamaica as the hopping dick (Turdus aurantius) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is endemic to Jamaica where it is common and widespread. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest.

Taxonomy

The white-chinned thrush was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the thrushes in the genus Turdus and coined the binomial name Turdus aurantius.^[1] The scientific name comes from Latin Turdus meaning "thrush" and Modern Latin aurantius meaning "orange-coloured".^[2] Gmelin based his account on those by earlier authors. His list included John Ray in 1713,^[3] Hans Sloane in 1725,^[4] Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760,^[5] Comte de Buffon in 1775^[6] and John Latham in 1783.^[7] The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.^[8]

Description

The white-chinned thrush in in overall length. The sexes are similar in appearance. The face, crown and nape are black. The rest of the upperparts dark grey. Two small broad white edges to the innermost form a small white wing patch. The chin is whitish but the rest of the underparts are mid-grey with the palest feathers on the belly. The bill, legs and feet are orange. The eye is brown.^[9] The only other thrush present in Jamaica is the white-eyed thrush. This lacks the white wing patch and the orange bill.^[9]

Local names for the bird in Jamaica include hopping dick and chick-me-chick.^[10]

Behaviour

Breeding occurs between May and August. The nest is placed in a shrub and is an untidy cup of leaves, fibres and twigs that is lined with finer material. The clutch is 2-4 eggs which are dull whitish or pale green background with reddish brown spots. They are incubated by the female for 16 days. Two broods are usually raised.^{[10] [11]}

Notes and References

1. Book: Gmelin, Johann Friedrich . Johann Friedrich Gmelin. 1789 . Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis . 13th . 1, Part 2 . Latin . Lipsiae [Leipzig] . Georg. Emanuel. Beer . 832 .
2. Book: Jobling, James A. . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 61, 393.
3. Book: Ray, John . John Ray . 1713 . Synopsis methodica avium & piscium . Latin . London . William Innys . 185, No. 30 .
4. Book: Sloane, Hans . Hans Sloane . 1725 . A Voyage to the Islands Madera, Barbados, Nieves, S. Christophers and Jamaica : with the natural history of the herbs and trees, four-footed beasts, fishes, birds, insects, reptiles, &c. of the last of those islands . 2 . London . Printed for the author . 305, Plate 256 Fig 2 .
5. Book: Brisson, Mathurin Jacques . Mathurin Jacques Brisson . 1760 . Ornithologie, ou, Méthode Contenant la Division des Oiseaux en Ordres, Sections, Genres, Especes & leurs Variétés . 2 . French, Latin . 277–278 . Paris . Jean-Baptiste Bauche .
6. Book: Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de . Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon . 1775 . Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux . 3 . Paris . De l'Imprimerie Royale . 391–392 . La Merle brun de Jamaique . French . https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k10697127/f467.item .
7. Book: Latham, John . John Latham (ornithologist) . 1783 . A General Synopsis of Birds . 2, Part 1 . Printed for Leigh and Sotheby . London . 45, No. 47 .
8. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela Rasmussen . July 2023 . Thrushes . IOC World Bird List Version 13.2 . International Ornithologists' Union . 16 August 2023 .
9. Book: Clement . Peter . Hathway . Ren . 2000 . Thrushes . Helm Identification Guides . London . A & C Black . 978-0-7136-3940-7 . 400 .
10. Levy . Catherine . Downer . Audrey . 1992 . Life history of the white-chinned thrush Turdus aurantius . Gosse Bird Club Broadsheet . 58 . 11–13 .
11. Book: Collar, N.J. . 2005 . Family Turdidae (Thrushes) . del Hoyo . J. . Elliott . A. . Christie . D.A. . Handbook of the Birds of the World . 10: Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes . Barcelona, Spain . Lynx Edicions . 978-84-87334-72-6 . 514-807 [676] . https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0010unse/page/676/mode/1up . registration .