The glossy-black thrush is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found from northern Venezuela to northwestern Argentina. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests at high elevations.
Region
Andes Mountains
Typical Environment
Occurs from the northern Andes of Venezuela through Colombia and Ecuador south into Peru and Bolivia, reaching northwestern Argentina. It inhabits humid montane and cloud forests, mature secondary growth, forest edges, and shaded ravines. Birds typically use the understory to mid-story and frequent fruiting trees and shrubs. It may venture into forest gaps and along streams but remains closely tied to dense, wet forest. Local movements can follow fruit availability and weather along elevational gradients.
Altitude Range
1200–3500 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The glossy-black thrush is a high-Andean Turdus that favors humid montane and cloud forests. Males are strikingly uniform and glossy black, whereas females and immatures are duskier brown, which can cause confusion with other Andean thrushes. It is often heard before it is seen, delivering clear, rich phrases from mid-story perches. By consuming many montane fruits, it plays an important role in seed dispersal.
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats through forest; strong, direct flights between perches
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, maintaining territories within suitable forest. Builds a cup-shaped nest of moss and fibers placed on branches or in dense vegetation. Both parents are believed to attend to the young, as is typical for Turdus thrushes.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a series of clear, fluty whistles and mellow phrases delivered at measured pace with pauses. Calls include thin, high-pitched seep notes and softer chuck or tut contact calls. Often sings from concealed mid-canopy perches, especially at dawn.
Plumage
Male is uniformly glossy black with a subtle bluish sheen; female and immatures are sooty to dark brown with slightly paler underparts and less gloss. Plumage is largely unpatterned, giving a clean, uniform look compared to many other thrushes.
Diet
An opportunistic omnivore that consumes a wide variety of small fruits and berries from understory and mid-story plants. It also gleans insects and other arthropods from foliage and bark and may probe leaf litter on the forest floor. Diet composition can shift seasonally with fruit availability, with more invertebrates taken during lower fruit periods.
Preferred Environment
Feeds within humid montane forest, using shaded edges, gaps, and along streams where fruiting shrubs are common. Regularly visits fruiting trees and forages quietly through dense understory vegetation.
