Orange-headed Thrush

Scientific Name: Geokichla citrina

Malay Name: Murai-Tanah Jingga Asia

Chinese Name: 橙头地鸫

Range: Found from Indian subcontinent, Southern China to Indochina, wintering to mainland Southeast Asia.

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: citrina, cyanota, innotata, melli, courtoisi, aurimacula, andamanensis, albogularis, aurata, rubecula.

Local Subspecies: innotata, citrina, aurimacula/courtoisi/melli

Size: 20.5-23.5 cm

Identification: Distinctive orange head and underparts and plain grey or brown upperparts distinguish this species from all other thrushes recorded in Singapore. Two subspecies regularly occur in Singapore: innotata, which has faint brown "teardrop" markings on face and white wingbar, and citrina, which lacks the facial markings and wingbar. Rarely recorded are birds with prominent, thick brown facial stripes – more prominent than in innotata – which breed in east Asia and may represent any of aurimacula, courtoisi, or melli (collectively referred to as the "aurimacula group").

Habitat: Forest and wooded areas, also occasionally in parks.

Behaviour/Ecology: Forages on the ground for insects but also feeds on fruits.

Local Status: Rare migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2019)

Location: Central Catchment Forest, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Bidadari, Singapore Botanic Gardens and West Coast Park.

Featured reports: Mar 2022, Dec 2022, Feb 2023, Mar 2023, Feb 2024

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Orange-headed Thrush Geokichla citrina
Estimated average number of individuals by week based on eBird data, Jul 2013 to Jun 2023
Peak week Feb 26-Mar 04
Early date 03 Dec 2016
Late date 29 Mar 2014
One of the latest passerine migrants to arrive in Singapore, with only a handful of records before mid-Dec.
Orange-headed Thrush (aurimacula group) at Bidadari. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Orange-headed Thrush (innotata) at Hindhede Park. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Orange-headed Thrush (innotata) at Hindhede Park. Photo credit: Francis Yap

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Orange-headed Thrush)

References:

BirdLife International. (2019). Geokichla citrina. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22708375A152676506.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula (Vol. 1). Academic Press, London.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Orange-headed Thrush. Retrieved on April 21, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/orange-headed-thrush.

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