Turdus smithi
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The Karoo thrush (Turdus smithi), also known as Smith's thrush, is a member of the thrush family in Africa. It has traditionally been considered a subspecies of the olive thrush (with which it is known to hybridize), but is increasingly treated as a separate species. The specific name honours the Scottish military surgeon and zoologist Sir Andrew Smith.
This medium-sized bird has a length of about 24 cm. It has a wing length between 117 and 131 mm, a culmen length between 20 and 24 mm and a tarsus length between 30.0 and 34.5 mm. It can reach a mass of at least 86 g. It differs from the olive thrush by its longer, entirely yellow bill, its longer wings, and its greyer flanks.
It occurs in South Africa, where it is present in Little Namaqualand, the Karoo and Northern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and parts of the North West Province. Bo T Bonnevie, The biology of suburban Olive Thrushes (Turdus olivaceus olivaceus) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa (2005). M.Sc. thesis, Rhodes University, South Africa
Olive/Karoo Thrush identification Birds of Southern Africa - Karoo Thrush Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Garden of South Africa | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Karoo Thrush sighting in Johannesburg on a given day, based on 2,724 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 6th most-seen of the 219 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September to March
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Karoo Thrush in Johannesburg on a given day, against about 50% in July, the lowest month.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Karoo Thrush sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Karoo Thrush sightings, Johannesburg ranks 2nd at about 70%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Pretoria (South Africa, about 70%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Karoo Thrush is recorded against all the birds logged in Johannesburg (2,724 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
