African Thrush (Turdus pelios)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

African Thrush

Turdus pelios Bonaparte, 1850

21–23 cmLength65 gWeight

The African thrush or West African thrush (Turdus pelios) is a passerine bird in the thrush family Turdidae.

Busiest months: November–December · Most records: Uganda, Kenya, Gambia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

African Thrush has been recorded at 271 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 29 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Entebbe Botanical GardenUganda1,370 records
  2. Bigodi SwampUganda450 records
  3. Abuko NRGambia383 records
More places
  1. Kakamega Forest NR – Rondo Retreat CentreKenya370 records
  2. Amurum Forest ReserveNigeria340 records
  3. Lake Nakuru NPKenya336 records
  4. Parc Urbain Bangr-WeoogoBurkina Faso326 records
  5. Shai Hills Resource ReserveGhana314 records
  6. Kakamega Forest NRKenya280 records
  7. Lake Mburo NPUganda277 records

Countries and regions with the most records

UgandaKenyaGambiaGhanaRwandaEthiopiaNigeriaCameroon

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The African thrush or West African thrush (Turdus pelios) is a passerine bird in the thrush family Turdidae. It is common in well-wooded areas over much of the western part of sub-Saharan Africa, it was once considered to be conspecific with the olive thrush but that species has now been split further. Populations are resident (non-migratory).

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the African Thrush?

The African Thrush is about 21–23 cm long and weighs around 65 g.

Where does the African Thrush live?

Its breeding range: Africa: western, central. It is most often recorded in Uganda, Kenya and Gambia.

When is the best time to see the African Thrush?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November and December (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the African Thrush endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the African Thrush as Least Concern.

What does the African Thrush eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the African Thrush in?

It belongs to the family Thrushes (Turdidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
21–23 cm
Weight
65 g
Habitat
Woodland
Diet
Omnivore
Lifestyle
Varied
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
111 mm
Tail
88 mm
Bill
24 mm
Tarsus
31 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: western, central

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Thrushes Turdidae
Genus
Turdus

Other birds in the genus Turdus

Ethiopian ThrushEthiopian ThrushTurdus simensisGroundscraper ThrushGroundscraper ThrushTurdus litsitsirupaChinese ThrushChinese ThrushTurdus mupinensisSong ThrushSong ThrushTurdus philomelosMistle ThrushMistle ThrushTurdus viscivorusPrincipe ThrushPrincipe ThrushTurdus xanthorhynchusSao Tome ThrushSao Tome ThrushTurdus olivaceofuscusAbyssinian ThrushAbyssinian ThrushTurdus abyssinicusTaita ThrushTaita ThrushTurdus helleriUsambara ThrushUsambara ThrushTurdus roehliOlive ThrushOlive ThrushTurdus olivaceusKurrichane ThrushKurrichane ThrushTurdus libonyana
African Thrush

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Joachim Louis. ↗

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