A New Subspecies of Zoothera (Aves: Muscicapidae: Turdinae) from the Northern Solomon Islands

Abstract

We report the discovery of a new population of the Ground Thrush Zoothera talaseae from Bougainville Island, North Solomons, Papua New Guinea. The population is described as a distinctive new subspecies. With this new information, we examine variation and distribution of populations of Zoothera dauma, talaseae, and margaretae in northern Melanesia. We redefine the species-limits of talaseae to include margaretae, and postulate a history of colonization of these island archipelagoes by Zoothera.