Turdus bewsheri

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: ParaHoxozoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Olfactores
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Sauropsida
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Cladus: Diapsida
Cladus: Neodiapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Cladus: Archelosauria
Cladus: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crocopoda
Cladus: Archosauriformes
Cladus: Eucrocopoda
Cladus: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Cladus: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Cladus: Saurischia
Cladus: 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
Subclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Cladus: Neornithes
Infraclassis: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Telluraves
Cladus: Australaves
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Passeri
Infraordo: Passerides
Parvordo: Muscicapida
Superfamilia: Muscicapoidea

Familia: Turdidae
Subfamilia: Turdinae
Genus: Turdus
Species: Turdus bewsheri
Subspecies: T. b. bewsheri - T. b. comorensis - T. b. moheliensis
Name

Turdus bewsheri E. Newton, 1877
References

Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London Pt2 p. 299 pl.34
Vernacular names
English: Comoro Thrush
The Comoro thrush (Turdus bewsheri) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in the Comoros Islands in the south western Indian Ocean.
Description

The Comoro thrush is a brown bird with olive tinged upperparts, slightly more rufous on the tail and wings. The underparts are whitish except for brown flanks and brown scaling on the breast and belly, central belly and undertail coverts are white. The females are browner than the males but otherwise similar, juveniles are more rufous. The length is 24 centimetres (9.4 in).[3]
Voice

The song is a typically thrush-like series of melodious, rich notes which varies between islands. Alarm call is a sharp "twit" and there is a soft contact call.[3]
Distribution and subspecies

There are three recognised subspecies, each endemic to a single island. They are:[4]

Turdis bewsheri comorensis Milne-Edwards & Oustalet, 1885: Grand Comoro.
Turdis bewsheri moheliensis Benson, 1960: Mohéli.
Turdis bewsheri bewsheri E. Newton, 1877: Anjouan.

Habitat

Comoro thrush occurs in evergreen primary forest and forest edge from sea level to 700 metres (2,300 ft), except for the subspecies T.B. comorensis which occurs on Mount Karthala[4] above this altitude as no forests exist lower than this.[3]
Habits

The Comoro thrush normally forages low down in the understorey or on the ground, looking fore spiders, grasshoppers, bugs, molluscs and some fruit and seeds. Will go higher into the canopy to feed on fruit.[5] Sometimes joins mixed species flocks. It breeds in mid-August to October when a cup shaped nest is built from plant fibres and roots, covered in moss and lined with fine grasses. It is placed up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) from the ground on a tree stump, among epiphytes or along a horizontal branch. the normal clutch is 2 eggs.[3]
Conservation

The Comoro thrush is classified as Near threatened by the IUCN and the main threat is habitat loss through forest degradation due to clearance by subsistence farmers and firewood cutting.[1]
References

BirdLife International (2021). "Turdus bewsheri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T22708748A194425480. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
"Turdus bewsheri E. Newton, 1877". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
Peter Clement; Ren Hathaway (2000). Thrushes. Christopher Helm. pp. 338–339. ISBN 0-7136-3940-7.
"Comoros Thrush (Turdis bewsheri)". HBW Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
Ian Sinclair; Olivier Langrand (1998). Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands. Struik. p. 132. ISBN 1-86872-035-7.[permanent dead link]