Turdus poliocephalus
Not Threatened
25 cm; mean 217 g
Taxonomy: Oreocincla Heinei Cabanis, 1850, Japan; error = Queensland, north Australia.Belongs in a group, possibly a superspecies, which also contains Z. dauma, Z. imbricata, Z. lunulata, Z. machiki, Z. talaseae, Z. margaretae, Z. turipavae, Z. monticola and Z. marginata, perhaps including also Z. mollissima and Z. dixoni. In the past was treated as a race of Z. dauma. Has also been considered conspecific with Z. lunulata, but in Australia the two occur sympatrically without interbreeding, and also differ in song and egg colour; supposed intergrades probably immature Z. lunulata. Four subspecies recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
The Island Thrush is widely but patchily distributed across its range. It is present on islands in Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, New Guinea and surrounding islands, many Indonesian islands, the Philippines and Taiwan. However, it is restricted to areas with bird communities of less than 25-35 species. On the larger islands (like Borneo or New Guinea) this means that it is only found at high altitudes, above 2750m.
Taking a range of invertebrates such as insects (mostly beetles), spiders, snails, earthworms, as well as carrion and even small reptiles. It will also take fruit and seeds, depending on what is locally available. Its foraging technique is described as similar to that of the Blackbird, investigating the leaf litter and low branches in dense cover, but in some places will also forage in the canopy.
Most Island Thrushes breed in discrete two- to three-month seasons (the precise timing varies depending on location), although the birds in Fiji nest from June until January. They nest in a well-constructed cup well hidden in dense vegetation, laying from one to three eggs