Enggano Thrush

Geokichla leucolaema

The Enggano Thrush (Geokichla leucolaema) is a strikingly marked, small-to-medium sized forest thrush, measuring approximately 18-20 cm (7-8 inches) in length. Its most distinctive field mark is a prominent white throat, from which its scientific name 'leucolaema' (meaning 'white throat') is derived, contrasting sharply with its dark crown and face. Upperparts are typically olive-brown, sometimes with a rufous wash, while the underparts are pale, often whitish or buff, adorned with dark spott...

Habitat

This elusive thrush primarily inhabits tropical lowland forests, preferring undisturbed primary forest but also utilizing disturbed secondary growth and forest edges, typically at elevations below 100 meters.

Diet

Its diet primarily consists of invertebrates such as earthworms, insects, and their larvae, supplemented with small fallen fruits and seeds scavenged from the forest floor.

Behavior

The Enggano Thrush is a shy and secretive bird, predominantly active at dawn and dusk, foraging mostly on the forest floor. It employs a classic thrush foraging strategy, hopping deliberately, pausing, and then flicking aside leaf litter with its bill to uncover hidden invertebrates. During the b...

Range

The Enggano Thrush is an extreme island endemic, with its entire known global distribution restricted solely to Enggano Island, an isolated island located southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia. There is no evidence of a breeding or wintering range beyond this single island. Consequently, it does not un...

Conservation Status

Critically Endangered

Fun Facts

- The Enggano Thrush is an island endemic, found nowhere else on Earth but the tiny Enggano Island off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. - Its scientific name, 'leucolaema,' is derived from Greek, literally meaning 'white-throated,' a direct reference to its most striking plumage feature. - It is ...

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