The orange-billed nightingale-thrush is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and heavily degraded former forest.
Region
Mesoamerica and northern South America
Typical Environment
Inhabits dense understory of moist and dry forests, forest edges, and second-growth thickets. Common in shaded ravines, along streams, and in overgrown clearings. Frequently uses regenerating habitats and heavily degraded former forest where cover is thick. Occurs from lowlands into montane zones where continuous understory is available.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This shy thrush skulks in dense understory, where its bright orange bill and legs often give it away before the rest of the bird is seen. Its clear, fluty song carries through forest edges and second growth, especially at dawn. It forages by hopping on the forest floor and flicking leaf litter to uncover prey. Despite its broad range, it can be surprisingly local, favoring thick, shaded cover.
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats through understory
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, maintaining small territories in dense cover. Nests are neat open cups placed low in shrubs or small trees. The female builds the nest and incubates, and both adults feed the nestlings.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A clear, fluty, and slightly melancholy series of whistled phrases, often descending. Calls include thin tseep notes and soft chuck sounds from within cover.
Plumage
Olive-brown upperparts with a grayish head and breast, buff-washed throat, and whitish belly; smooth, unspotted underparts typical of nightingale-thrushes.
Diet
Takes insects, spiders, and other small invertebrates gleaned from leaf litter and low vegetation. Also consumes small fruits and berries, especially when invertebrates are scarce. Occasionally snaps up prey from low perches and may follow ant swarms locally to catch flushed arthropods.
Preferred Environment
Feeds on the forest floor and in dense understory along trails, stream margins, and edges. Frequently forages in second growth and overgrown clearings where leaf litter accumulates.
