Geokichla, from Ancient Greek γεω- (geō-), meaning "ground", and κιχλη (kikhlē), meaning "thrush", are a genus of medium-sized thrushes who are mostly insectivorous or omnivorous in the thrush family, Turdidae. They were traditionally listed in the Zoothera, but molecular phylogenetic studies published in 2008 led to their placement in a separate genus.
Taxonomy The genus Geokichla was introduced in 1836 by the German naturalist Salomon Müller with Turdus citrinus Latham, 1790, the orange-headed thrush, as the type species.> The genus name comes from Ancient Greek γεω- (geō-), meaning "ground", and κιχλη (kikhlē), meaning "thrush.
These species were formerly placed in the genus Zoothera. Molecular phylogenetic analysis by Gary Voelker and collaborators published in 2008 found that Zoothera was polyphyletic. To create monophyletic genera 21 species were moved from Zoothera to the resurrected genus Geokichla.
List of species The genus contains the following 21 species:
Image Scientific name Common name Distribution Geokichla sibirica Siberian thrush Siberia, Manchuria and Japan ;winters to Southeast Asia Geokichla wardii Pied thrush Himalayas ;winters to Sri Lanka - Geokichla princei Grey ground thrush African tropical rainforest - Geokichla camaronensis Black-eared ground thrush western and northeastern Central Africa Geokichla guttata Spotted ground thrush very sparsely across sub-Saharan Africa Geokichla spiloptera Spot-winged thrush montane forests of Sri Lanka Geokichla crossleyi Crossley's ground thrush Western High Plateau and Ruwenzori Geokichla piaggiae Abyssinian ground thrush eastern Afromontane - Geokichla oberlaenderi Oberländer's ground thrush northeastern Congo Basin - Geokichla gurneyi Orange ground thrush eastern/southern Afromontane Geokichla citrina Orange-headed thrush Indomalayan realm Geokichla dumasi Buru thrush Buru - Geokichla joyceyi Seram thrush Seram Geokichla peronii Orange-sided thrush Timor and southern Moluccas - Geokichla schistacea Slaty-backed thrush Tanimbar Islands - Geokichla interpres Chestnut-capped thrush Malesia - Geokichla leucolaema Enggano thrush Enggano Island Geokichla dohertyi Chestnut-backed thrush eastern Lesser Sundas Geokichla cinerea Ashy thrush northern Philippines Geokichla erythronota Red-backed thrush Sulawesi - Geokichla mendeni Red-and-black thrush Taliabu and Peleng
A subfossil specimen of a ground thrush has been found on the island of Mauritius: Mauritius ground thrush, Geokichla longitarsus
References
External links
Asian thrush videos on the Internet Bird Collection