Birdfinding.info ⇒ Generally common and easy to find in wooded areas across most of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, including city parks in Santo Domingo and San Juan. The subspecies albiventris is uncommon and local on Dominica, mainly in the northwestern part of the island, south of Portsmouth. It is most often seen near the coast around Dublanc and Colihaut, and along the road up to Syndicate in the early morning.
Eastern Red-legged Thrush
Turdus ardosiaceus
Endemic to Hispaniola and its satellites, Puerto Rico, and Dominica.
Widespread on Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, where it is a common resident of forests, open woodlands, plantations, and gardens.
On Dominica, albiventris is largely confined to dry woodlands along the western coast. This small population is vulnerable to the impacts of development and hurricanes, and probably qualifies as endangered.
Identification
Slaty-gray overall, with black accents on the wings and face, a boldly streaked black-and-white throat, and bright reddish-orange bill, legs and eye-ring.
The uppertail is mostly black, showing white outer feathers when spread. The undertail is mostly white, but black near the vent.
Differs from closely related Western and Northern Red-legged Thrushes (no range overlap) in having a streaked throat, red bill, and white belly.
Eastern Red-legged Thrush. (Parque Central, San Juan, Puerto Rico; February 3, 2010.) © Steve Metz
Eastern Red-legged Thrush, ventral view, showing partly white belly and black and white undertail pattern. (Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; December 12, 2015.) © Geoffrey Groom
Eastern Red-legged Thrush, scolding. (Dominican Republic; January 26, 2015.) © Dax M. Román E.
Eastern Red-legged Thrush. (El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico; January 10, 2016.) © Jeff Stacey
Eastern Red-legged Thrush, carrying a small anole. (Lomas Lindas, Dominican Republic; September 21, 2013.) © Dax M. Román E.
Eastern Red-legged Thrush, carrying a large earthworm, showing white outer tail corners. (Dominican Republic; August 28, 2016.) © Dax M. Román E.
Eastern Red-legged Thrush, ventral view, showing extensively white belly and black and white undertail pattern. (Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico; February 2, 2019.) © Cynthia Carlson
Eastern Red-legged Thrush, showing white outer tail corners. (Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic; July 7, 2018.) © Dax M. Román E.
Eastern Red-legged Thrush, immature. (Medina, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; April 14, 2013.) © Dax M. Román E.
Eastern Red-legged Thrush, showing the sharply contrasting black and white streaks on the throat. (Dorado, Puerto Rico; October 31, 2017.) © Eric Haskell
Eastern Red-legged Thrush, showing black and white undertail pattern. (Cambalache State Forest, Puerto Rico; January 5, 2016.) © Gerlinde Tauer
The Dominica subspecies, albiventris, is very similar to the subspecies of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, but appears to be somewhat smaller, with bare parts that are less red, more orange.
Eastern Red-legged Thrush, T. a. albiventris. (Dublanc, Dominica; January 19, 2015.) © Jim Tietz
Eastern Red-legged Thrush, T. a. albiventris. (Dublanc, Dominica; January 19, 2015.) © Jim Tietz
Voice. Song is a repetitive series of musical, but choppy, notes and brief phrases:Common calls include a squeaky tsurrip! often repeated many times:
Notes
Polytypic species consisting of two recognized subspecies, ardosiaceus and albiventris.
Traditionally considered conspecific with Western and Northern Red-legged Thrushes.
References
eBird. 2019. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed May 3, 2019.)
Larsen, N. 2011. Red-legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T.S. Schulenberg, ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.relthr1.01.
Latta, S., C. Rimmer, A. Keith, J. Wiley, H. Raffaele, K. McFarland, and E. Fernandez. 2006. Birds of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
Raffaele, H. 1989. A Guide to the Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
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.