| Spotted Ground-thrush | |
|---|---|
| Zoothera guttata from Amanzimtoti, South Africa | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Turdidae |
| Genus: | Zoothera |
| Species: | Z. guttata |
| Binomial name | |
| Zoothera guttata (Vigors, 1831) |
|
The Spotted Ground-thrush (Zoothera guttata) is a species of bird in the Turdidae family. It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, and possibly Mozambique.
Contents |
These birds are about 23cm in length, with brown upper parts and white to off-white lower parts which are darkly spotted.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Spotted Ground-thrush spends much of its time in leaf-litter on the forest floor where it flicks through the leaves in search of small invertebrates, and despite its distinctive colouration, it is often difficult to see.[1]
In KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, the birds have distinctive winter and summer ranges. In winter these birds spend their time in remnant coastal forests, and in summer they move to forests further inland.
The birds lay bluish coloured eggs in a cup-shaped nest.
