White-headed island thrush

The white-headed island-thrush (Turdus pritzbueri), also known as the Loyalty island thrush, is a species of passerine in the family Turdidae. It is found in Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of island thrush, but was classified as a distinct species by the IOC and Clements checklist in 2024.

Taxonomy

The white-headed island thrush was first described as Turdus pritzbueri in 1878 by ornithologist Edgar Leopold Layard based on a specimen from Lifou Island. It was later considered to be a subspecies of Island thrush under the name T. p. pritzbueri. Following a 2023 phylogenic study, it was one of 17 species split from the Island thrush in 2024.

There are currently two recognized subspecies:

• Turdus pritzbueri pritzbueri <small>Layard, 1878</small> - Found on the islands of Tanna and Futuna in Vanuatu and the Loyalty Islands in New Caledonia
• Turdus pritzbueri albifrons <small>(Ramsay, 1879)</small> - Found on Erromango in Vanuatu

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