Tickell's Thrush

Tickell's thrush is a small thrush 21–25 cm long and 57–75 g, similar in size to a redwing or eyebrowed thrush and distinctly smaller than the Indian blackbird. Males have uniform blue-grey upperparts and a whitish belly and vent, while females and young have browner upperparts; adults have a yellow beak and legs and a yellow eye ring thinner and fainter than the Indian blackbird's. The name commemorates the British ornithologist Samuel Tickell, who collected in India and Burma (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is common in open forest in the Himalaya, breeding at middle altitudes of 1,200–2,700 m, and migrates seasonally to peninsular India, Nepal and rarely Bangladesh. It builds its nest from April to June, mostly of dry grass, in broadleaf or mixed forest with clearings, including orchards and large gardens where it feeds on lawns. SoIB 2023 treats it as endemic to the Indian subcontinent and rates it a Low conservation priority, a within-India migrant of forest and plantation with a Moderate range of about 75,200 km² and an inconclusive long-term trend of about −42% (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).