Nombre en español: Zorzal Piquianaranjado

Nombre en ingles: Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush

Nombre científico: Catharus aurantiirostris

Familia: Turdidae

Foto: Wilmer Quiceno/Carlos Martinez/Juan Ochoa/Fabio Arias/Hernán Arias

Canto: Jerome Fischer

El tordo pico de oro (Catharus aurantiirostris), también conocido como zorzal piquianaranjado o zorzalito piquigualda, es una especie de ave paseriforme de la familia Turdidae. Es nativo de Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Trinidad y Tobago y Venezuela. Su hábitat natural incluye bosque tropical y subtropical, matorrales y humedales.

Subespecies

Se distinguen las siguientes subespecies:

Catharus aurantiirostris aurantiirostris
Catharus aurantiirostris aenopennis
Catharus aurantiirostris clarus
Catharus aurantiirostris melpomene
Catharus aurantiirostris bangsi
Catharus aurantiirostris costaricensis
Catharus aurantiirostris russatus
Catharus aurantiirostris insignis
Catharus aurantiirostris sierrae
Catharus aurantiirostris inornatus
Catharus aurantiirostris phaeopleurus
Catharus aurantiirostris birchalli
Catharus aurantiirostris barbaritoi
Catharus aurantiirostris griseiceps

Orange-billed nightingale-thrush

The orange-billed nightingale-thrush (Catharus aurantiirostris) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and heavily degraded former forest.

Measuring 14 cm (5.5 in) long, this nightingale-thrush has a bright orange bill, eye ring, and legs. Northern birds have a brown back and cap, and a whitish chest and belly. Southern birds have a distinctive grey crown and darker chest and flanks.

It is fairly common within its range. It forages on the ground for insects and fruit.

The song is a less musical than other thrushes. It consists of a nasal, slurred whaaaaa.

The Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush has a disjunct distribution from Mexico through Central America to western Panama, and in northern and western Venezuela south in the Andes to southern Colombia. This species is locally common in lower montane areas in the dense understory along forest edge, secondary woodland, and disturbed areas, such as coffee plantations. It is a member of the genus Catharus, which include several North American species that occur in the Neotropics during migration and winter. Characterized by a bright orange bill, along with light rufous-brown upperparts and grayish-white underparts. No North American Catharus thrush has an orange bill. In Central America, perhaps most similar to the Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush (Catharus frantzii), which barely shows an orange base to the lower mandible, and is typically found at higher elevations. Also in Central America it is found more in thickets in deciduous woodland and second growth, whereas all other resident species in the genus are found in wetter forested areas, mostly at higher elevations. Unlikely to be confused with other Catharus in South America. It does overlap with Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush (Catharus fuscater) and Spotted Nightingale-Thrush (Catharus dryas), but both those species are very differently plumaged. Often seen hopping on the ground, or singing from a very low perch in a dense thicket. Most other members of the genus have a complex, lovely song, but Orange-billed has a less “musical,” drier song. The common call note is a nasal, upslurred “whaaaaa.”