NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Taita Thrush
Turdus helleri (Mearns, 1913)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Taita thrush (Turdus helleri), also known as the Taita olive thrush or Heller's ground thrush, is an endangered bird in the thrush family Turdidae, endemic to the Taita Hills in southern Kenya.
Wikipedia contributors, Taita thrush; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:55:34.383357+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Turdus helleri (Mearns, 1913)
- Name authority
- (Mearns, 1913)
- Common name
- Taita Thrush
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Turdus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyTurdidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusTurdus Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesTurdus helleri (Mearns, 1913)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Turdus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| White-necked ThrushTurdus albicollis Vieillot, 1818 | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Creamy-bellied ThrushTurdus amaurochalinus Cabanis, 1851 | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-throated RobinTurdus assimilis Cabanis, 1851 | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-throated ThrushTurdus atrogularis Jarocki, 1819 | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Comoro ThrushTurdus bewsheri E. Newton, 1877 | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dusky ThrushTurdus eunomus Temminck, 1831 | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Grey-sided ThrushTurdus feae (Salvadori, 1887) | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-legged ThrushTurdus flavipes Vieillot, 1818 | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cocoa ThrushTurdus fumigatus M. H. C. Lichtenstein, 1823 | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Clay-colored RobinTurdus grayi Bonaparte, 1838 | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Grey-backed ThrushTurdus hortulorum P. L. Sclater, 1863 | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-eyed ThrushTurdus jamaicensis J. F. Gmelin, 1789 | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Turdus olivaceus helleri (Mearns, 1913) (Mearns, 1913) | synonym |
| Planesticus helleri Mearns, 1913 Mearns, 1913 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=916166 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:59PLQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.