And the bush has friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him, In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,
And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, And at night the wonderous glory of the everlasting stars.

Banjo Paterson (1889)

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Blue Whistling Thrush

This is video of the resident race of Blue Whistling Thrush in Thailand (with the yellow bill), the migrant race that arrives there have black bills.






The Blue Whistling Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus) is a species of thrush in the family Turdidae. At 178 grams (6.3 oz) and 33 cm (13 inches), it is believed to be the world's largest species of thrush. Feeds mainly on insects and is found over most of asia, usually in temperate, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

An interesting fact, the brighter blue patches found on the shoulders and sometimes the head, of whistling thrushes, uniquely for a passerine, reflect strongly in the ultraviolet.

2 comments:

Bob Pelkey said...

Missed your use of the tripod here.

Richard King said...

Hi Bob,

Yes so did I, but it's a nice record of a beautiful bird and the Canon HV40 worked well given the conditions. I was stuck in the sun behind two photographer's hides, having to video over the top with no tripod and nothing to lean on!