White-backed Thrush
Turdus kessleri (Przevalski, 1876)
28 cmLength76 gWeight
This large, flocking thrush has a pink body and a black head, wings and tail in the male.
Busiest months: May–June · Most records: China
How to identify
Field marks
- Male has a black head, wings and tail
- Male has a black head, wings and tail and a pale pink to nearly white upper back
- Body length 28 cm, about the same size as Mistle Thrush
Male, female and young
Female is similar but darker, with a dark brown head and grayer pink areas; juvenile resembles female, with pale streaks on the head.
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: May–June · Most records: China
White-backed Thrush has been recorded at 100 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Baxi ForestChina150 records
- Balang Shan [General Area]China134 records
- Balang Shan – Tunnel AreaChina108 records
More places
- MengbishanChina97 records
- Gonggangling PassChina78 records
- Baizha ForestChina77 records
- Balang Shan PassChina76 records
- Kanda MountainChina64 records
- Rubber Mountain PassChina63 records
- Temple of Princess WenchengChina42 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 white-backed thrush or Kessler's thrush (Turdus kessleri) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is primarily resident or a short-distance altitudinal migrant, found in central China in Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, eastern Tibet, and northwestern Yunnan, and also a scarce winter visitor in Bhutan, northeasternmost India (Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim), and eastern Nepal. It breeds in alpine scrub on rocky sites at altitudes of 3600–4500 metres, and descends down to 2100 metres, rarely to 1500 metres, in winter.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the White-backed Thrush?
The White-backed Thrush is about 28 cm long and weighs around 76 g.
Where does the White-backed Thrush live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: western China to southeastern Tibet. It is most often recorded in China.
When is the best time to see the White-backed Thrush?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May and June (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the White-backed Thrush endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the White-backed Thrush as Least Concern.
What does the White-backed Thrush eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the White-backed Thrush in?
It belongs to the family Thrushes (Turdidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 28 cm
- Weight
- 76 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Varied
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 150 mm
- Tail
- 124 mm
- Bill
- 25 mm
- Tarsus
- 36 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental: western China to southeastern Tibet
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 Henry Koh. ↗
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