| Taiwan Island Thrush | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Turdidae |
| Genus: | Turdus |
| Species: | T. poliocephalus |
| Subspecies: | T. p. niveiceps |
| Trinomial name | |
| Turdus poliocephalus niveiceps (Hellmayr, 1919) |
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The Taiwan Island Thrush (Turdus poliocephalus niveiceps) is a bird in the thrush family. It is the most northerly subspecies of the Island Thrush (Turdus poliocephalus) and is endemic to the island of Taiwan.
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As the most sexually dimorphic of all Island Thrush subspecies, it is a good candidate for reclassification as a full species.[1][2]
The male Taiwan Island Thrush has black upperparts except for a white head and throat. The underparts are mainly dark orange with a blackish upper breast. The female has similar patterning but is duller, with a brown back, grayish brown head with a white streak behind the eye, buff throat and upper breast streaked brown, and with duller orange underparts. Its bill, legs and feet are yellow. Males and females are similar in size, about 22 cm in length.[1]
The subspecies is a rare resident of central Taiwan’s mountain forests at altitudes of 1800–2500 m.[1]
The Taiwan Island Thrush forages through trees, low vegetation, and on the ground in leaf litter. Its diet includes a variety of invertebrates as well as seeds, berries and fruit.[1]