Birdfinding.info ⇒ Common and easy to find at all of the frequently visited wooded sites on Jamaica. Usually among the more numerous and conspicuous birds present at most locations. Especially abundant at Hardwar Gap. Within Kingston, it can be found at Hope Botanical Gardens and in leafy neighborhoods, often feeding on lawns.
White-chinned Thrush
Turdus aurantius
Endemic to Jamaica, where it is widespread and common in humid woodlands across Jamaica, including settled areas. Also occurs locally or sporadically in some dry habitats.
Identification
Slaty-gray overall, with a thin white wing-stripe and orange bill and legs—although the orange can vary from yellow to nearly red. As its name suggests, it also has a small white chin patch, but this feature is not prominent.
White-chinned Thrush, showing its thin white wing-stripe. (Silver Hill Gap, Jamaica; January 4, 2012.) © Ken Simonite
White-chinned Thrush, showing its white chin. (Jamaica; December 20, 2014.) © Charles J. Sharp
Jamaica’s other resident Turdus, the White-eyed Thrush, has a very different pattern: with a brown head, white eye, and dull-colored bill and legs.
Voice. Song is mockingbird-like, a leisurely, varied series of musical whistles, paired notes, and quavers: Marshall’s Pen, Jamaica; May 21, 1994. © Robert L. Sutton
Typical calls include single squeaky or plaintive notes given at intervals of about one to four seconds:
More plaintive: New Castle, Jamaica; February 22, 1992. © Linda Macaulay
Or squeakier: Windsor Cave, Jamaica; February 27, 2008. © Brian K. Schmidt
Notes
Monotypic species.
More Images of the White-chinned Thrush
White-chinned Thrush. (Hardwar Gap, Jamaica; January 29, 2019.) © Suzanne Cholette
White-chinned Thrush. (Hardwar Gap, Jamaica; February 2014.) © Tom Davis
White-chinned Thrush. (Hardwar Gap, Jamaica; January 28, 2019.) © Matthew Grube
White-chinned Thrush. (Ecclesdown Road, Jamaica; February 14, 2014.) © Adam & Gina Kent
References
eBird. 2022. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed September 1, 2022.)
Haynes-Sutton, A., A. Downer, R. Sutton, and Y.-J. Rey-Millet. 2009. A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Jamaica. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
Kirwan, G.M., A. Levesque, M. Oberle, and C.J. Sharpe. 2019. Birds of the West Indies. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.