The white-necked thrush (Turdus albicollis) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found on Trinidad and Tobago and in every mainland South American country except Chile. It previously was called the white-necked robin.

Taxonomy and systematics

The white-necked thrush was originally described in 1818 with its current binomial Turdus albicollis.

The species' further taxonomy is complicated and as of early 2026 remains unsettled. For much of the twentieth century what are now the white-throated thrush (T. assimilis) and Dagua thrush (T. daguae) were included as subspecies of the white-necked thrush. The North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (NACC) recognized the white-necked and white-throated thrushes as separate species in the first edition of its "Checklist of North American Birds". BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) split them its Version 0, issued in 2007. What is now the independent South American Classification Committee (SACC) had done so by 2007. By 2018 the IOC had adopted the split and the Clements taxonomy followed in 2025. AviList adopted it in its first version (2025). When they made the split, the IOC, Clements, the NACC, and the SACC included daguae in the white-throated thrush. By 2018 the IOC had recognized daguae as a separate species and Clements followed in 2025.

The IOC, Clements, and the SACC assign these seven subspecies to the white-necked thrush: As noted above, HBW also includes T. a. daguae in this species.

This article follows the IOC et al. one-species, seven-subspecies model.

Description

The white-necked thrush is long and weighs . The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies T. a. albicollis have a blackish brown head with a blackish-streaked white throat and a yellow to orange eye-ring. Their upperparts, wings, and tail are dark brown. They have a white crescent below the throat, a buff-gray breast and upper belly, brown-washed orangey flanks, and a white lower belly and undertail coverts. They have a brown iris, a yellowish bill, and pinkish brown legs and feet. Juveniles resemble adults with buff flecks on the head, faint wing bars of orange spots, and buffy underparts with brown barring.

  • T. a. phaeopygus: from eastern Colombia east through Venezuela's Amazonas and Bolívar states, the Guianas, and northern Amazonian Brazil
  • T. a. crotopezus: eastern Brazil from Alagoas south to Espírito Santo
  • T. a. albicollis: southeastern Brazil from Rio de Janeiro state south into central and eastern Uruguay
  • T. a. paraguayensis: from Mato Grosso in Brazil south through eastern Paraguay into northeastern Argentina's Misiones and Corrientes provinces

The white-necked thrush inhabits the interior, edges, and clearings of several forest types. It favors terra firme and also is found in várzea and mature secondary forest. It seldom is found in open areas but will come out of cover onto trails and roadsides.

Behavior

Movement

The white-necked thrush is almost entirely a year-round resident. However, some elevational movements have been noted in Brazil. In addition, T. a. contemptus is apparently partially migratory into western Bolivia and southwestern Peru in the austral winter. It includes May to June in Colombia, March in Ecuador, April to June in Venezuela, apparently December to May in Suriname, and apparently October to March in French Guiana. The white-necked thrush is socially monogamous but extra-pair mating is common.

Vocalization

"The White-necked Thrush has a melodious song that varies somewhat across its broad range. While foraging it also produces a variety of abrupt calls."