Grey-winged Blackbird Turdus boulboul is common throughout its mainly Himalayan and northern Indochinese range, but rare in China, where it is a summer visitor to Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi. HABITAT & BEHAVIOR A large thrush of montane forests. Breeds at higher altitudes, descending in winter. Shy. Hops on forest floor in search of invertebrates and fruit. ID & COMPARISON Male like Chinese Blackbird T. mandarinus, but with large grey wing patch and brighter orange bill. Lower underparts also show weak grey scaling. Female pale olive-brown with reddish wing patch. Juveniles have spotting and streaking on brown upperparts and wing patches corresponding to sex. BARE PARTS Feet yellow-brown, eye-ring yellow. VOICE Sounds, reminiscent of Common Blackbird T. merula, include a melodious, complex song, a “chuck” alarm call, and an angry chirr. — Craig Brelsford
THE TRUE THRUSHES OF CHINA
shanghaibirding.com has research on all 24 species in the genus Turdus in China. Click any link:
Grey-backed Thrush Turdus hortulorum
Tickell’s Thrush T. unicolor
Black-breasted Thrush T. dissimilis
Japanese Thrush T. cardis
White-collared Blackbird T. albocinctus
Grey-winged Blackbird T. boulboul
Common Blackbird T. merula
Chinese Blackbird T. mandarinus
Tibetan Blackbird T. maximus
Chestnut Thrush T. rubrocanus
White-backed Thrush T. kessleri
Grey-sided Thrush T. feae
Eyebrowed Thrush T. obscurus
Pale Thrush T. pallidus
Brown-headed Thrush T. chrysolaus
Black-throated Thrush T. atrogularis
Red-throated Thrush T. ruficollis
Naumann’s Thrush T. naumanni
Dusky Thrush T. eunomus
Fieldfare T. pilaris
Redwing T. iliacus
Song Thrush T. philomelos
Chinese Thrush T. mupinensis
Mistle Thrush T. viscivorus
See also:
Taiwan Thrush Turdus niveiceps
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Daniel Bengtsson served as chief ornithological consultant for Craig Brelsford’s Photographic Field Guide to the Birds of China, from which this species description is drawn.
