Animalia Life
Turdus plumbeus
TAXONOMY
Turdus plumbeus Linnaeus, 1758, Bahamas.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Merle vantard; German: Rotfussdrossel; Spanish:
Zorzal cubano.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
10.2–10.6 in (26–27 cm); 1.8– 2.9 oz (50–82 g). Gray upperparts,
reddish legs and bill, red eye ring, white chin, and large
white tail tips. Belly color varies between races from white to
rufous; throat can be dark to spotted white.
DISTRIBUTION
Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Dominica.
HABITAT
Woodlands, mangrove, and scrub, coffee plantations, cactus,
and thickets in large gardens.
BEHAVIOR
Shy, solitary or in pairs, forages low in vegetation or on
ground, noisy at roost.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Insects in summer, fruit in winter, including royal palm fruit
and various berries.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Breeds March–November; three to five eggs in bulky nest of
stems, grass, paper, in tree fork or crown of tall palm.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
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