Yemen Thrush Turdus menachensis is a
common & widespread resident of the of the south-west highlands, favouring
areas of thick bush mainly at Jebal Souda and Al Jarrah as well as the areas
around Tanoumah. Birds are relatively common in the Baha area in the middle
section of the Goldebn Tulip valley and the Raghadan Forest area. In 1987 it
was also common and widespread in the highlands and no apparent change in
population seems to have occurred over this period. Also occurs in the Tihama
around jebals such as Jebal Aswad and Jebal Gaha. It is a medium-sized (23
cms), plain brown bird with the male being olive-brown above, paler and greyer
below, with dark narrow streaks radiating across the buff-grey chin and throat
onto the breast. The stout bill is orange-yellow, the legs are flesh-coloured
to yellow and, in flight, the orange underwing-coverts can be seen. The female
is very similar but paler overall, being buff below, often with dark shaft
streaks on the belly and flanks, and with a duller-coloured bill. It has a
fluty song, mostly heard at dawn, containing a series of high-pitched phrases
and an explosive call ‘chuck-chuck’, from which it is most easily located. It
is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List 2006 as its population is
likely to be small, 2500 to 9999 birds and declining owing to excessive
exploitation and clearance of its montane woodland habitat although in Saudi
Arabia its woodland habitat is protected in at least two protected areas: Raydah
Reserve and Asir National Park. It is native to the mountains of south-western
Saudi Arabia and western Yemen and has a very local distribution. It can be
very skulking in nature, remaining motionless for long periods of time. The
species is confined to mountainous areas with a dense cover of native trees and
shrubs including woodlands, thickets, copses, orchards and large gardens,
although adjacent open areas are also frequented. This species occurs from
1,200 to 3,100 m above sea level, mainly above 1,700 m, and at its lowest
elevations it is restricted to thick vegetation along watercourses. This small
forest bird forages on the ground among dead and rotting vegetation, feeding on
terrestrial invertebrates such as snails, and on fruits such as those of Rosa,
Juniperus, Olea and Ficus species. The Yemen thrush breeds from March to
August, with the nest positioned one to four metres above ground in a bush or
tree-fork, usually in dense cover. The nest consists of a firm cup made of dry
grass, small twigs, moss and thin bark strips, with a mud interior lined with
fine grass and rootlets, into which one to three eggs (usually two) are laid.
