Turdus smithi
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Karoo Thrush sighting in West Coast National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 153rd most-seen of the 192 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Karoo Thrush in West Coast National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September and November–July, the lowest months.
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.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Karoo Thrush sightings, West Coast National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Golden Gate Highlands National Park (South Africa, about 30%) and Pilanesberg National Park (South Africa, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Karoo Thrush is recorded against all the birds logged in West Coast National Park (22 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
