The Story
I photographed this female Great Thrush (Turdus fuscater) in the vereda Chapacual, near Yacuanquer in Nariño, Colombia. It is common in the Andean highlands from Venezuela to Bolivia, and its size sets it apart from the other plain, dark thrushes in its range. It uses open forest, farmland with scattered trees, parks and gardens, and it usually feeds on the ground in short grass but also visits fruiting trees. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. It is considered the largest thrush in South America.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 800mm f/11 for this one, at 1/90 sec, f/11, ISO 1600. Yacuanquer was among the Nariño municipalities that backed the 2026 Global Big Day, when birders in the department recorded 566 species.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Great Thrush (Turdus fuscater) belongs to the family Turdidae (Thrushes and Allies) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List