> My field notes state: "Rufous rump, not much scaling, white on tail tip
> extends up outer tail feathers, no pale eye ring".
> From Simpson and Day (First Edition) this sounds like a description of
> the race heinei yet on range I guess it should have been lunulata.
> Can anyone help out with a definitive view ? What are the
My understanding of the situation is that just around O'Reilleys, most of
the thrushes are heinei, whereas lunulata is more common in some of the
higher parts of the range, though it can also be seen on the road out from
O'Reilleys.
Though the description above sounds like heinei, I would caution that ID of
these birds is quite subtle. It is very helpful to visit your local museum
and directly compare specimens to see just how the pattern of the uppertail
coverts differs. Songs separate them very easily. I think most would agree
that they are very good species, with the two distinct song types widely
sympatric.
Chris Corben
PO Box 2323
Rohnert Park, CA, 94927-2323
USA
707-584-8711
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