CreatureData

White-backed thrush

Turdus kessleri (Przevalski, 1876)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The white-backed thrush (Turdus kessleri) is a species in the family Turdidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh about 76.3 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

White-backed thrush (Turdus kessleri)
Photo: Henry Koh · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the white-backed thrush

Weight
76.3 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
3src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the white-backed thrush live?

Not recorded

What is the white-backed thrush?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The white-backed thrush or Kessler's thrush (Turdus kessleri) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is primarily resident or a short-distance altitudinal migrant, found in central China in Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, eastern Tibet, and northwestern Yunnan, and also a scarce winter visitor in Bhutan, northeasternmost India (Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim), and eastern Nepal. It breeds in alpine scrub on rocky sites at altitudes of 3600–4500 metres, and descends down to 2100 metres, rarely to 1500 metres, in winter.

It is a large thrush, 28 cm long (same size as a mistle thrush). The male has a black head, wings, and tail, and a pink body, dark pink below and pale pink to nearly white on the mantle (thus superficially resembling a rosy starling in plumage pattern, though larger and longer-tailed than that). The female is similar but drabber, with a dark brown head and the pink tinged greyer. Juveniles are similar to adult females, but with pale streaks on the head. It is gregarious, forming flocks particularly in winter, but also on the breeding grounds, and often joins flocks of dusky thrush and red-throated thrush. It is omnivorous, feeding on insects, earthworms, and berries, with juniper cones ("berries") particularly important in winter.

From the Wikipedia article “White-backed thrush” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White-backed_thrush&oldid=1315310769), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the white-backed thrush endangered?

The white-backed thrush is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the white-backed thrush classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyTurdidae
  6. genusTurdus
  7. SpeciesTurdus kessleri (Przevalski, 1876)

Synonyms Merula kessleri

Other names and names in other languages (33)
  • Kessler's thrushEnglish
  • Kessler’s thrushEnglish
  • merla de KesslerCatalan
  • drozd západočínskýCzech
  • brych KesslerWelsh
  • Tibet DrosselDanish
  • RhododendrondrosselGerman
  • Rhododendron-DrosselGerman
  • blankdorsa turdoEsperanto
  • Zorzal de KesslerSpanish
  • roosarästasEstonian
  • katajarastasFinnish
  • Merle de KesslerFrench
  • tibetski kosCroatian
  • Tordo di KesslerItalian
  • Tordo dorsobiancoItalian
  • チャイロツグミJapanese
  • Keslerio strazdasLithuanian
  • Keslera strazdsLatvian
  • Kesslers lijsterDutch
  • rododendrontrostNorwegian
  • drozd jasnogrzbietyPolish
  • tordo-de-dorso-claroPortuguese
  • tordo-de-dorso-brancoPortuguese
  • Рододендровый дроздRussian
  • drozd borievkovýSlovak
  • Beloleđi drozdSerbian
  • kesslertrastSwedish
  • vitryggig trastSwedish
  • Kessler ArdıcıTurkish
  • дрізд рододендровийUkrainian
  • 棕背黑头鸫Chinese
  • 棕背黑頭鶇Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the white-backed thrush

Other species in the same genus Turdus.

LC, Least Concern
Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)

Fieldfare

Turdus pilaris

Turdidae

LC, Least Concern
Ring ouzel (Turdus torquatus)

Ring ouzel

Turdus torquatus

Turdidae

LC, Least Concern
Redwing (Turdus iliacus)

Redwing

Turdus iliacus

Turdidae

CompareWhite-backed thrush vs Common blackbirdWhite-backed thrush vs Song thrushWhite-backed thrush vs FieldfareWhite-backed thrush vs Mistle thrush

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the white-backed thrush?

An adult white-backed thrush weighs 76.3 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the white-backed thrush endangered?

The white-backed thrush is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the white-backed thrush?

The white-backed thrush (Turdus kessleri) belongs to the family Turdidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). White-backed thrush (Turdus kessleri). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-backed-thrush

MLA

“White-backed thrush (Turdus kessleri).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-backed-thrush.

BibTeX
@misc{white_backed_thrush_2026,
  title = {White-backed thrush (Turdus kessleri)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-backed-thrush},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}