Turdus poliocephalus
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The Tasman Sea island thrush (Turdus poliocephalus) is an extinct forest bird in the thrush family that was formerly found on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the "island thrush" complex that has been split into 17 species based on a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2023. The two subspecies of the Tasman Sea island thrush became extinct in historical times.
The Tasman Sea island thrush was formally described in 1801 by the English ornithologist John Latham based on a specimen that had been collected on Norfolk Island in the Pacific Ocean. He coined the binomial name Turdus poliocephalus, where the specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek πολιος/polios meaning "grey" or "grizzled" with -κεφαλος/-kephalos meaning "-headed". The Tasman Sea island thrush, under the name "island thrush", formerly included around 50 subspecies and had a range that extended from the Philippines through the Greater Sundas, Wallacea, and New Guinea to Polynesia. The island thrush complex was split into 17 separate species based on morphological differences and a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2023.
Two subspecies are recognised, both... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaohsiung | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tasman Sea Island-Thrush sighting in Kaohsiung on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 190th most-seen of the 214 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tasman Sea Island-Thrush in Kaohsiung on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tasman Sea Island-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.
Only Kaohsiung, in our data
Kaohsiung is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Tasman Sea Island-Thrush sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Turdus
The closest relatives of the Tasman Sea Island-Thrush that you can see in Kaohsiung (genus Turdus, Typical Thrushes) are Brown-headed Thrush (about 20%) and Pale Thrush (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tasman Sea Island-Thrush is recorded against all the birds logged in Kaohsiung (12 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.
