Bird Album
Karoo Thrush
Turdus smithi Bonaparte, 1850
24 cmLength78 gWeight
The Karoo thrush (Turdus smithi), also known as Smith's thrush, is a member of the thrush family in Africa.
Busiest months: October–November · Most records: South Africa, Lesotho
Where and when it's recorded
Karoo Thrush has been recorded at 37 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Walter Sisulu National Botanical GardenSouth Africa561 records
- Rietvlei NRSouth Africa435 records
- Delta ParkSouth Africa418 records
More places
- Eagle Canyon Golf EstateSouth Africa214 records
- Suikerbosrand NRSouth Africa123 records
- Augrabies Falls NPSouth Africa119 records
- Karoo NPSouth Africa88 records
- Pilanesberg NPSouth Africa73 records
- Polokwane GRSouth Africa62 records
- West Coast NPSouth Africa47 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 Karoo thrush (Turdus smithi), also known as Smith's thrush, is a member of the thrush family in Africa. It has traditionally been considered a subspecies of the olive thrush (with which it is known to hybridize), but is increasingly treated as a separate species. The specific name honours the Scottish military surgeon and zoologist Sir Andrew Smith.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Karoo Thrush?
The Karoo Thrush is about 24 cm long and weighs around 78 g.
Where does the Karoo Thrush live?
Its breeding range: Africa: southern Namibia, southeastern Botswana and northern South Africa. It is most often recorded in South Africa and Lesotho.
When is the best time to see the Karoo Thrush?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October and November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Karoo Thrush endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Karoo Thrush as Least Concern.
What does the Karoo Thrush eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Karoo Thrush in?
It belongs to the family Thrushes (Turdidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 24 cm
- Weight
- 78 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Varied
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 122 mm
- Tail
- 97 mm
- Bill
- 28 mm
- Tarsus
- 31 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: southern Namibia, southeastern Botswana and northern South Africa
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Thrushes Turdidae
- Genus
- Turdus
Other birds in the genus Turdus
Ethiopian ThrushTurdus simensis
Groundscraper ThrushTurdus litsitsirupa
Chinese ThrushTurdus mupinensis
Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
African ThrushTurdus pelios
Principe ThrushTurdus xanthorhynchus
Sao Tome ThrushTurdus olivaceofuscus
Abyssinian ThrushTurdus abyssinicus
Taita ThrushTurdus helleri
Usambara ThrushTurdus roehli
Olive ThrushTurdus olivaceus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Markus Lilje. ↗
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