The Story
On June 28, 2017, I photographed this Great Thrush (Turdus fuscater) at the Jardín Botánico de Bogotá in Bogotá, Colombia. It eats mainly fruit and berries, but also takes invertebrates and even eggs and nestlings, often feeding on short grass. Outside the breeding season it can gather in groups of up to 40 birds. Its soft, melodious song is sung only in the breeding season, just before sunrise. The garden grows plants from every altitude, climate and region of Colombia, grouped by their original ecosystems.
I used a Canon EOS 70D and the EF400mm f/5.6L USM for this one, at 1/250 sec, f/7.1, ISO 400. IUCN lists the Great Thrush as Least Concern with a stable population, and the garden, a member of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, runs conservation workshops and a science club for children.
©2018 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