Zoothera major
The Amami Thrush (Zoothera major) is a captivating and critically endangered passerine, renowned for its elusive nature and strikingly patterned plumage. Measuring approximately 29-31 cm in length with a robust build, it sports deep olive-brown upperparts and a distinctive head pattern featuring a bold buffy-white eyering and lore, contrasting with a dark line through the eye. Its most prominent field mark is the heavily scaled underparts, exhibiting dark crescentic markings on a white to buf...
The Amami Thrush inhabits mature, evergreen broadleaf forests, preferring dense, humid undergrowth and areas with abundant leaf litter, typically found at low to mid-elevations.
The Amami Thrush primarily feeds on a variety of invertebrates, including earthworms, insects, snails, and spiders, supplemented occasionally by small fruits and berries. It forages by methodically turning over leaf litter and probing damp soil.
Predominantly a diurnal species, the Amami Thrush is notoriously secretive and crepuscular, often observed foraging quietly on the forest floor, especially at dawn and dusk. It employs a distinctive foraging strategy, methodically turning over leaf litter and probing soft soil with its bill to un...
The Amami Thrush (Zoothera major) is an obligate resident endemic to a single, small oceanic island: Amami-Oshima, located in the northern Ryukyu Islands of Japan. Its entire known distribution is confined to the evergreen broadleaf forests of this island, primarily within the central and norther...
Critically Endangered
- The Amami Thrush was once considered a subspecies of White's Thrush (Zoothera aurea) but was elevated to full species status due to distinct vocalizations and genetic differences. - It is one of the world's most endangered thrushes, found only on a single island, Amami-Oshima, Japan. - Its heav...