Cichladusa guttata

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Cladus: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Telluraves
Cladus: Australaves
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Passeri
Infraordo: Passerida
Superfamilia: Muscicapoidea

Familia: Muscicapidae
Genus: Cichladusa
Species: Cichladusa guttata
Subspecies: C. g. guttata - C. g. intercalans - C. g. rufipennis
Name

Cichladusa guttata (Heuglin, 1862)
References

Journal für Ornithologie 10 p. 300
Vernacular names
English: Spotted palm thrush
español: Zorzal palmero moteado
Nederlands: Gevlekte palmlijster
svenska: Fläckig palmskvätta

The spotted palm thrush (Cichladusa guttata), also known as the spotted morning-thrush, is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family. They are small birds mostly consisting of the colors brown, black, and cream.[2] They can be found in eastern African countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.[3] Their natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, dry savanna, and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland. This bird is a forager that has a diet consisting of invertebrates. These birds create a variety of different vocal duets as a form of communication.
Appearance

The spotted palm thrush measures around 16-17 centimeters (6.3-6.7 inches) long and weighs around 17-30 grams (<0.1 pounds). This bird features a warm brown color from crown to back and wings, with a dark brown eye stripe, and black-arrowed, creamy white underparts. The males and females are monomorphic, having little variance in their appearance regardless of sex.[2]
Habitat

The spotted palm thrush is located in most parts of Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. They can also be found in the easternmost parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the southernmost parts of Sudan.[2] These birds commonly dwell in habitats along the dense undergrowth within savannas, woodland, dry watercourses, thickets, and scrub habitats.[3][4]
Diet

The spotted palm thrush has a diet consisting of invertebrates, such as small snails, and cordia fruits. At an early age, a spotted palm thrush will mostly eat bush-cricket nymphs, beetle larvae, lampyrinae larvae, and moth caterpillars. Spotted palm thrushes get their food by foraging on the ground, both single and in pairs, in human populated areas near game-park lodges and gardens.[2]
Vocal Behavior

The spotted palm thrush creates different sounds and imitations for different reasons of contact. Two of these main vocal performances include course singing and repetitive singing. Spotted palm thrushes will perform course singing by themselves. Once they are paired with a bird of the opposite sex, they engage in repetitive singing. The gender of the bird can be distinguished based on their duet contributions; duets are commonly initiated by males, and females sing during the silent intervals between male notes. Normally, these duets last around 8 to 20 seconds, and the duration and volume of the duet could change based on the birds’ levels of excitement. To indicate their excitement before and after duets, spotted palm thrushes will raise their body, pointing their head and bill upward, and show their spotted throat.[5]
References

BirdLife International (2018). "Cichladusa guttata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22709876A131880415. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22709876A131880415.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
Collar, Nigel (2020). "Spotted Morning-Thrush (Cichladusa guttata), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.spmthr1.01species_shared.bow.project_name. ISSN 2771-3105.
BirdLife International (2018). "Cichladusa guttata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22709876A131880415. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22709876A131880415.en. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
"Spotted Morning-Thrush". eBird. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
Todt, Dietmar; Fiebelkorn, Anne (1980). "Display, Timing and Function of Wing Movements Accompanying Antiphonal Duets of Cichladusa guttata". Behaviour. 72 (1/2): 82–106. ISSN 0005-7959.