African Wildlife Environment Issue 75 FINAL

Food A wide range of insects including beetles, grubs, caterpillars (including those of the Mopani Emperor moth), grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, earthworms, termites, small fish out of ponds and reptiles including chameleons, nestling birds and a number of fruiting tree and shrub species, including fallen fruits in gardens and orchards all contribute to the thrush’s food source. Trees includeMulberry, Apricot, Peaches, Plums, Wild Olive, White Stinkwood, Karee and Buffalo Thorn. The Olive Thrush has been observed beating a snail on a hard surface to crack the shell. The Kurrichane is recorded feeding on Avocado pears on the ground, which is unusual as they are normally toxic for birds, containing a toxin, persin. Song The Kurrichane utters loud tuneful whistled notes: wip-weedle, tyeoo-weet-weet from a hidden perch in tall trees or from the ground, while the Olive and Karoo have a more liquid flutelike call tweea-tweea- wheety. The alarm call for thrushes is a loud chink- chink-chin. These birds are known to mimic other bird species for example Cape Wagtail and Cape White-eye. References Chittenden, H, Allan, D, & Weiersbye, I. (2012). Roberts Geographic variation of Southern African Birds. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Jacana. Ginn, PJ,McIlleron, WG,& leS Milstein,P. (1999). The Complete Book of South African Birds . Struik Winchester. Hockey, PAR, Dean,WRJ, & Ryan PG, (2005). Roberts Birds of South Africa . John Voelcker Bird Book Fund. Liversidge, R.1 (1991). The Birds Around Us. Fontein books. Sinclair, I, & Ryan, P. Birds of Africa, South of the Sahara. Struik Nature. South African Bird Atlas project 2. (). Animal Demographic Unit, University of Cape Town. Tarboton, WR. ( 2011). Roberts Nests & Eggs of Southern African Birds. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund

Behaviour These three thrush species are mainly solitary, and they spend most of their time on the ground, working their way through leaf litter, either tossing it aside with their beak or scratching it backwards with one foot. They have a characteristic way of running with their head lowered, then stopping abruptly, with their back at 45 degrees to the horizontal, to listen for possible prey.

K urrichane Thrush Kruger National Park

These thrushes are strong direct flyers, generally aggressive to other species, rather shy but becoming bolder in gardens. They often fly up into the highest branches when disturbed, where they remain motionless until the danger is past. This behavior applies especially to the shyer Kurrichane Thrush. In the breeding season, the males display by parading and dragging their wing tips and tails along the ground. The Karoo Thrush is semi-gregarious when not breeding, and generally they are all resident with minimal altitudinal movement. For example, the Karoo Thrush is found only in June to September in the upper Limpopo basin, where the presumed influx comes from the highveld region. In the breeding season, generally the first birds to call in the morning and the last at night are these three thrush species. Where water is available, they bathe frequently, or utilise wet foliage after a storm or under a hose spray in the garden. Olive thrushes are also known to dust bath, flicking up dust and spreading wings and tail to face the sun.

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