| Geokichla | |
|---|---|
| |
| Siberian thrush (Geokichla sibirica) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Turdidae |
| Genus: | Geokichla S. Müller, 1836 |
| Type species | |
| Turdus citrinus[1] Latham, 1790 | |
The Geokichla thrushes are medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the thrush family, Turdidae. They were traditionally listed in the Zoothera, but molecular phylogenetic studies published in 2008 led to their placement in a separate genus.
The genus Geokichla was introduced in 1836 by the German naturalist Salomon Müller with Turdus citrinus Latham, 1790, the orange-headed thrush, as the type species.[2][3][4] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek geō- meaning "ground-" with kikhlē meaning "thrush.[5]
These species were formerly placed in the genus Zoothera. Molecular phylogenetic analysis by Gary Voelker and collaborators published in 2008 found that Zoothera was polyphyletic.[6][7] To create monophyletic genera 21 species were moved from Zoothera to the resurrected genus Geokichla.[8]
The genus contains the following 21 species:[8]
A subfossil specimen of a ground thrush has been found on the island of Mauritius:[9]
| Geokichla |
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|---|---|
