Red-legged thrush


The red-legged thrush is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. Native to the Caribbean, it is found in the Bahamas, Cayman Brac, Cuba, Dominica, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. It formerly occurred on the Swan Islands, Honduras. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest. This species may be considered the Caribbean counterpart of the American robin, as it has similar habits, including being a common visitor to gardens and lawns.
This large thrush measures and weighs approximately, depending on subspecies. It is mainly bluish-grey above and lighter-grey below with a white and black throat with a striped appearance. The legs, bill and eye ring are bright orange-red. There is notable variation in plumage between the subspecies.
Six subspecies are described:
Its food is mostly fruits, but a third of its diet is animal matter: insects, plus occasional snails, frogs, lizards and birds' eggs.
In Puerto Rico, the red-legged thrush is known as zorzal de patas coloradas.