Pale-breasted thrush

A young bird.

The Pale-breasted thrush is about 18 cm long and can be found near houses everywhere in the coastal area and the savanna. It sings beautifully, especially in the morning when it starts as early as five o'clock, sometimes together with the tropical mockingbird. In the evening it often gives a sharp alarm call.
The bird is notably noisy when it is constructing a nest. This has the form of a cup and is made of dead grasses and small twigs, covered with green plantmaterial. It sometimes makes more than one nest, still only one is used. A nest is often found just beneath the roof or between the joists under the floor of a house on poles.(I hope this is correct english). It will divert an intruder by sneeking away from the nest and calling from a distance. On a safe place the thrush will return many times to breed.
The bird will eat everything it finds, but mostly insects and fruit.

Two photos made by Leo Olmtak in Paramaribo in 2009, the second one is of a juvenile with a speckled breast. The third and fourth picture were made by by J.H. Ribot and the one below by Carla Out in September 2006, all in Paramaribo.

Each small square indicates the observation of at least one (group) of these birds, the medium ones at least 4 observations on different days and the largest ones 10 or more. The color of each square indicates: blue for coastal area, yellow for savanna and red for rainforest.

Distribution in Suriname (explanation)
Coastal area
Savanna
Forests
Mountain forests
Sipalawini savanna

Names in:

• Scientific name: Turdus leucomelas
• Dutch: Vaalborstlijster
• French: Merle à poitrine claire
• Portugese: Capoeirão, Sabiá-barranco
• Spanish: Paraulata montañera
• Surinamese: Bonkidif, boontjedief

More pictures of thrushes and other (garden) birds from Suriname

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