Swainson's Thrush

The Glossy-black Thrush occurs on both slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes, inhabiting humid montane and cloud forests typically between 1,500 and 2,800 meters. It is fairly common in suitable habitat but tends to remain inconspicuous, often foraging alone or in pairs within dense understory or at forest edges, with males occasionally singing from exposed perches at dawn and dusk. The species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a broad Andean range and a population suspected to be slowly declining due to modest forest loss. Natural history observations highlight its sexual dimorphism—males glossy black with orange bill and eyering, females warm brown—and its preference for mature forest, though nesting biology remains poorly documented.