Endemic bird of the day : La Selle Thrush

Abstract

Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) day 47 poster, dedicated to the La Selle Thrush, a close cousins of the American Robin. Both belong to the genus Turdus – the true thrushes. The genus has 84 species worldwide, including five in the Caribbean: White-eyed, White-chinned, Red-legged, Forest, and the extinct Grand Cayman Thrush. The handsome La Selle Thrush, found only on the island of Hispaniola, is one of the most secretive. This bird is so elusive that scientists didn’t even know it existed until 1927. An expedition to southeast Haiti first found it atop the 2,000m high La Selle ridge, from which it takes its name.