Geokichla, from Ancient Greek óõÃÂ- (geà Â-), meaning "ground", and úùÃÂû÷ (kikhlÃÂ), meaning "thrush", are a genus of medium-sized thrushes who are mostly insectivorous or omnivorous 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. The genus name comes from Ancient Greek óõÃÂ- (geà Â-), meaning "ground", and úùÃÂû÷ (kikhlÃÂ), meaning "thrush.
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. To create monophyletic genera 21 species were moved from Zoothera to the resurrected genus Geokichla.
The genus contains the following 21 species:
A subfossil specimen of a ground thrush has been found on the island of Mauritius: