The Asian thrushes are medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus Zoothera of the thrush family, Turdidae.

Taxonomy

The genus Zoothera was introduced in 1832 by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Vigors to accommodate a newly described species, Zoothera monticol, the long-billed thrush, which therefore becomes the type species. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek zōon meaning "animal" with -thēra meaning "hunter". Two New World species traditionally regarded as Zoothera (varied thrush and Aztec thrush) actually belong elsewhere in the thrush family. A group containing Siberian thrush and the African species is not closely related to the other Zoothera and are now assigned to the genus Geokichla.

Species

The genus contains the following 21 species:

Traditional Zoothera species belonging elsewhere in family

Geokichla thrushes