The Guadalcanal thrush is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is endemic to the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Region
Solomon Islands
Typical Environment
Occurs in the interior of Guadalcanal where humid montane and cloud forests dominate. It favors dark, mossy forest with a dense understory and abundant leaf litter for ground foraging. Birds are typically encountered along ridges, steep gullies, and near forested streams. It avoids heavily disturbed areas and rarely descends into lowland secondary growth.
Altitude Range
600–2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A shy, ground-foraging thrush of Guadalcanal’s high forests, it often stays hidden in dense understory and leaf litter. It relies on intact montane forest, making it sensitive to logging and habitat fragmentation. Its mellow, fluted song is most often heard at dawn and dusk.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and direct between perches
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in pairs, keeping to dense cover. Nests are likely cup-shaped and placed in shrubs or low trees, as in related Zoothera thrushes. Pairs defend small territories during the breeding season and remain secretive when nesting.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A soft, fluted series of clear whistles delivered from concealed perches. Calls include thin tseep notes and quiet chucking sounds while foraging.
Plumage
Upperparts are brown to olive-brown; underparts are pale with bold dark scalloping creating a scaled appearance. Tail and rump can show warmer rufous tones, with finely patterned breast and flanks. Feathers are dense and soft, aiding a cryptic, mottled look on the forest floor.
Diet
Feeds mainly on invertebrates such as beetles, ants, spiders, earthworms, and snails gleaned from leaf litter. Also takes fallen berries and small forest fruits when available. It probes, flips leaves, and gleans along logs and root tangles, occasionally hawking short distances for prey.
Preferred Environment
Forages on the shaded forest floor of mature montane and cloud forest. Frequently works along stream edges, rotting logs, and dense understory where leaf litter accumulates.
