White's thrush

White's thrush, a captivating bird from the thrush family Turdidae, was named in honor of the English naturalist Gilbert White. The genus name, Zoothera, derives from the Ancient Greek words for "animal" and "hunter" while its specific name, aurea, is Latin for "golden."

This bird prefers to breed in the humid coniferous taiga, primarily found in the eastern Palearctic region, ranging from Siberia to Manchuria, Korea, and Japan. Northern populations migrate to southeastern Asia for the winter. Occasionally, White's thrush appears as a rare visitor in western Europe.

Both male and female White's thrush are similar in appearance, measuring between 27-31 cm in length. They exhibit a striking plumage with black scaling on a white or yellowish background. One of their distinctive features, noticeable in flight, is the black band on their white underwings—a characteristic they share with the Siberian thrush.

The male White's thrush is renowned for its loud, mechanical, whistle-like song, which can carry over long distances and includes distinct pauses between phrases. Interestingly, this bird was once considered a subspecies of the scaly thrush.