Varied Thrush
Ixoreus naevius (Gmelin, JF, 1789) (0, 2)
Photo © George Gay - Papa Westray, Orkney, October 2021
STATUS
North America. Polytypic.
OVERVIEW
The first individual was most confusing when originally found. The general colouration of greys and white did not fit any likely species, although the abundance of good field marks eventually led to Varied Thrush. Enquiries made with the American Museum of Natural History, confirmed that the bird was a Varied Thrush. From photographs of this individual it was compared with skins at the A.M.N.H. and it was decided that it was an albinistic or leucistic specimen. Instead of the usual pigmentation, this individual had greys where there should have been blacks, chestnuts and tawny colouration.
The most popular explanation of the race of this bird is that it belongs to the Northern race (Ixoreus naevius meruloides) for which there are a few records of stragglers reaching the Atlantic sea-board.
Both records occurred 1000 miles apart.
BBRC RECORDS
1). 1982 Cornwall Nanquidno, St Just, 14th to 23rd November, photo.
(British Birds 76: plates 37, 38 & 39; S. M. Christophers, Birds in Cornwall 1982: 72, photos; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 82: 542; S. C. Madge, G. C. Hearl, S. C. Hutchings & L. P. Williams, British Birds 83: 187-195, plates 109-114; BOURC (1991), Ibis 133: 219; Birding World 25 (9): 390, plate 1).
2). 2021 Orkney Links, Papa Westray, 1CY, female, 27th October to 1st November, photo.
(British Birds 114: plate 475; D. Roche, Scottish Birds 42: 182-185, plates 143-144, 146-147; C. Holt, P. French and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 115: 594, plate 451; Rarities Committee, British Birds 117: 49, corr.).
