Bird Guide

Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush vs Yellow-throated Nightingale-Thrush

Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush (Catharus gracilirostris)

Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush

Catharus gracilirostris

Small21 gForest

The black-billed nightingale-thrush is about 15 cm (5.9 in) long and weighs about 20 g (0.71 oz) The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a slate-gray forecrown, an olive-brown crown, and a slate-gray face. Their upperparts, wings, and the upper side of their tail are olive-brown. Their throat is whitish, the middle of their lower belly light gray to whitish, and the rest of their underparts slate-gray with an olivaceous band across the breast. They have a dark brown iris, a black bill, and dark gray legs and feet. Voice: The black-billed nightingale-thrush has a variety of vocalizations. Its song is composed of up to about 18 phrases, each different than the preceding one, and typically alternating between higher and lower pitches. Males usually sing from within understory vegetation and only seldom much higher. During the breeding season males countersing.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Anthony Mora Aguilar · CC BY 4.0
Yellow-throated Nightingale-Thrush (Catharus dryas)

Yellow-throated Nightingale-Thrush

Catharus dryas

Small38 gForest

The yellow-throated nightingale-thrush is 17 to 19 cm (6.7 to 7.5 in) long and weighs 36 to 44 g (1.3 to 1.6 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies C. d. dryas have a mostly black head with an orange eye-ring and a buff chin and upper throat. Their upperparts are dull olive-gray. Their lower throat, breast, and upper belly are apricot-yellow with olive spots, their flanks grayish, and their lower belly and vent are whitish. Adult females are dark grayish on the back of their crown and head and have more olive upperparts than males. Subspecies C. d. harrisoni and C. d. Voice: The yellow-throated nightingale-thrush's song is somewhat variable though each individual appears to have a single song. Examples are "a scratchy warbling series of sharp whistles and buzzes: chit-TSEE!-tah'wert-PEE'tseee-Cheet or TSIP!Tseee-cheet-tsee'weet". The song lasts about two seconds.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Christoph Moning, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christoph Moning · cc-by

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush and Yellow-throated Nightingale-Thrush.