White-headed island thrush explained

The white-headed island-thrush (Turdus pritzbueri), also known as the Loyalty island thrush,^[1] is a species of passerine in the family Turdidae. It is found in Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of island thrush, but was classified as a distinct species by the IOC and Clements checklist in 2024.^{[2] [3]}

Taxonomy

The white-headed island thrush was first described as Turdus pritzbueri in 1878 by ornithologist Edgar Leopold Layard based on a specimen from Lifou Island. It was later considered to be a subspecies of Island thrush under the name T. p. pritzbueri. Following a 2023 phylogenic study, it was one of 17 species split from the Island thrush in 2024.^[4]

There are currently two recognized subspecies:

• T. p. pritzbueri Layard, 1878 - Found on the islands of Tanna and Futuna in Vanuatu and the Loyalty Islands in New Caledonia
• T. p. albifrons (Ramsay, 1879) - Found on Erromango in Vanuatu

Notes and References

1. Web site: Loyalty Island-Thrush . Avibase . 20 October 2024.
2. Web site: Proposed Splits/Lumps . IOC World Bird List v14.2 . 20 October 2024.
3. Web site: 2024 Taxonomy Update—COMING SOON . eBird . 20 October 2024.
4. Reeve . Andrew Hart . Gower . Graham . Pujolar . José Martín . Smith . Brian Tilston . Population genomics of the island thrush elucidates one of earth's great archipelagic radiations . Evolution Letters . January 2023 . 7 . 1 . 20 October 2024.