1941. Ureparapara and Vanua Lava, Vanuatu. †T. p. poliocephalus Latham, 1801, Norfolk thrush. Norfolk Island. Extinct. T. p. pritzbueri E. L. Layard, 1878. Lifou, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia (probably extinct); and Tanna, Vanuatu. T. p. rennellianus Mayr, 1931. Rennell Island, southern Solomon Islands. T. p. ruficeps (E. P. Ramsay, 1876). Kadavu, Fiji. T. p. samoensis Tristram, 1879. Savai'i and Upolu Islands, Samoa. T. p. schlegeli P. L. Sclater, 1861. Western Timor. T. p. seebohmi (Sharpe, 1888), Borneo thrush. Mountains of northern Borneo. T. p. sladeni Cain & Galbraith, 1955. Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. T. p. sterlingi Mayr, 1944. Eastern Timor. T. p. stresemanni M. Bartels Jr, 1938. Mount Lawu, Java. T. p. tempesti E. L. Layard, 1876. Taveuni, Fiji. T. p. thomassoni (Seebohm, 1894). Northern Luzon, Philippines. T. p. tolokiwae Diamond, 1989. Tolokiwa Island, Bismarck Archipelago; and possibly New Britain. T. p. vanikorensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1830. Vanikolo Islands and Utupua, in the Solomons; and Espiritu Santo and Malo, Vanuatu. T. p. versteegi Junge, 1939. Mountains of western New Guinea. †T. p. vinitinctus (Gould, 1855), Lord Howe thrush. Lord Howe Island. Extinct. T. p. vitiensis E. L. Layard, 1876. Vanua Levu, Fiji. T. p. whiteheadi (Seebohm, 1893). Mountains of eastern Java. T. p. whitneyi Mayr, 1941. Gaua Island, Vanuatu. T. p. xanthopus J. R. Forster, 1844. Yandé Island, New Caledonia. The Taiwan thrush (T. niveiceps) was also formerly classified as a subspecies, but more recent studies indicate that it is a distinct species that is not within the island thrush complex. Distribution The island thrush is widely but patchily distributed across its range. It is present on islands in Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, New Guinea and surrounding islands, many Indonesian islands, and the Philippines. However, it is restricted to areas with bird communities of less than 25–35 species. On the larger islands (like Borneo or New Guinea) this means that it is only found at high altitudes, above 2750 m. Smaller islands can only support much smaller bird communities, and on these the island thrush may be found at lower altitudes. Two or more subspecies may exist on some islands, segregated into different habitats. The ranges of many subspecies may be as small as a single island—for example the Kadavu subspecies T. p. ruficeps. Description The 49 subspecies of island thrush vary dramatically in appearance, but almost all resemble a typical Turdus thrush and have a yellow