The Asian thrushes are medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus Zoothera of the thrush family, Turdidae.

Asian thrushes
White's thrush (Zoothera aurea)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Zoothera
Vigors, 1832
Species

21, see text

Taxonomy edit

The genus Zoothera was introduced in 1832 by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Vigors to accommodate a newly described species, Zoothera monticol, the long-billed thrush, which therefore becomes the type species.[1][2] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek zōon meaning "animal" with -thēra meaning "hunter".[3]

Two New World species traditionally regarded as Zoothera (varied thrush and Aztec thrush) actually belong elsewhere in the thrush family. A group containing Siberian thrush and the African species is not closely related to the other Zoothera and are now assigned to the genus Geokichla.

Species edit

The genus contains the following 21 species:[4]

Traditional Zoothera species belonging elsewhere in family edit

Geokichla thrushes

References edit

  1. ^ Vigors, Nicholas Aylward (1832). "Zoothera". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London: 172.
  2. ^ Mayr, Ernst; Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, eds. (1964). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 10. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 144.
  3. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 414. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  4. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2023). "Thrushes". IOC World Bird List Version 13.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 13 December 2023.

Further reading edit

  • Klicka, J., G. Voelker, and G.M. Spellman. 2005.A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the ‘‘true thrushes’’ (Aves: Turdinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 34: 486–500.
  • Sangster, G., J.M. Collinson, P.-A. Crochet, A.G. Knox, D.T. Parkin, L. Svensson, and S.C. Votier. 2011. Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: seventh report. Ibis 153: 883–892.
  • Voelker, G., and J. Klicka. 2008. Systematics of Zoothera thrushes, and a synthesis of true thrush molecular systematic relationships. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 49: 377–381.
  • Voelke, G., and R.K. Outlaw. 2008. Establishing a perimeter position: speciation around the Indian Ocean Basin. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 21: 1779–1788.

External links edit