Choiseul Russet-tailed Thrush (Zoothera heinei ssp. choiseuli)

The Choiseul Russet-tailed Thrush is thought to be endemic to the island of Choiseul, Solomon Islands.

The thrush has a size of about 20 cm, it has plain dark upperparts and an indistinct buffy moustachial stripe and eye-ring, the underparts are creamy-buff with dusky-brown scales, the belly and vent are whiter.

***

This bird is known from a single specimen that was collected in 1904, since then none was ever found again … until 2013, when a juvenile bird that can be assigned to the same species was collected on the island of Santa Isabel, which is the neighbor island of Choiseul.

The question is now if this juvenile can be assigned to the same subspecies or if it represents a new one.

***

The Choiseul Russet-tailed Thrush will stay on the blog until this question is finally solved.

*********************

*********************

edited: 17.05.2019