Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush
Catharus fuscater
The Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush (Catharus fuscater) is a uncommon thrush found in 7 countries, weighing about 34 g. The slaty-backed nightingale-thrush is a species of bird in the family Turdidae, the thrushes and allies.
About the Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush
The slaty-backed nightingale-thrush is a species of bird in the family Turdidae, the thrushes and allies. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The slaty-backed nightingale-thrush is 17 to 18 cm (6.7 to 7.1 in) long. Specimens from Ecuador and Colombia weighed 30.5 to 38 g (1.1 to 1.3 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies C. f. fuscater have a dark slate gray head with a bright orange to yellowish orange eye-ring and a white to gray throat. Their upperparts are dark slate gray. Their underparts are mostly dark slate gray; the center of the breast and belly have varying amounts of white mixed in and sometimes a yellowish tint to the white. Voice: A lyric description of the slaty-backed nightingale-thrush's song is "a dreamy, mesmerizing series of low, flute like phrases...eer-lee or ur-eee-lee, phrases halting and hypnotic, as if disembodied from bird and floating eerily through the forest". Another description is "melodious and leisurely...a series of simple phrases, e.g, toh-toh-tee...tee-toh or tlee-to-tleedelee...to wee-tlee?".
What the Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush can be seen all year round, with peak activity in March. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush?
- The slaty-backed nightingale-thrush is 17 to 18 cm (6.7 to 7.1 in) long. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush?
- The Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush is a small sized bird weighing about 34 g.
- Where can you see a Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush?
- The Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush occurs in 7 countries, including Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela.
- What does a Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush?
- The Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush is most easily confused with the Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush, the Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush and the Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush.
- Is the Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush endangered?
- The Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush for real
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