Nature Note #110: Four Thrushes and a Robin
Over the past few weeks, I've been keeping track of new birds arriving on the property where I work and was delighted when the Wood Thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) had returned early this month. As I walked through the woods, along a boardwalk that straddled the wet woods near my accommodations, I heard the rapid "pit-pit" calls of an alarmed bird and looked up to find a male Wood Thrush in full song. As I write this, I wanted to create another basic guide to recognizing similar looking birds after seeing the popularity and success of "On the Wing #69: Swallow, Swift, or Martin?". After birding in the Sourlands near Hopewell, NJ today and seeing several species of thrushes, I think I've come upon the ideal topic.
At this time of year, you are most likely to come across three species of thrush: the ubiquitous American Robin (Turdus migratorius), the aforementioned Wood Thrush, and the migrant Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus). The shyer Veery (C. fuscescens) and Hermit Thrush (C. guttatus) are similar, but aren't seen as commonly. Nonetheless, I will describe and draw comparisons to aid in the identification of each species.
The first species is, as Roger Tory Peterson put it, "the one bird that everyone knows". It is of course, the American Robin, which can be seen year round in the northeast despite its status as a harbinger of spring. While some populations migrate, most birds are resident and will hang around the same area for much of the year. They are sexually dimorphic with males possessing a black head and white eyering, dark brown back, and brick red chest and females being duller brown on their backs and paler orange on their chests. The males song is a richly sung "cheerly-cherrio-cheerup-cheerly" with many variations. When alarmed, it gives off a tutting, cackling call, scolding you from a low branch or while flying away.
While they spend most of their times puttering around on your lawn looking for worms, the other four are usually found in some sort of woodland habitat. The most commonly seen and recognized is the Wood Thrush, a (conveniently) robin-sized bird with a orange brown back and distinctively spotted chest. It is most well known for its song which is a series of flutey notes usually following the mnemonic "ee-o-lay". While still common today, it has been threatened by habitat fragmentation and nest parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) and was once threatened by the prevalent use of pesticides like DDT. I've always appreciated the symbolism of the Wood Thrush as a key species of the eastern forests as well as an indicator species for the health of the forest overall. Even two of my favorite books as a child, Flute's Journey: The Life of a Wood Thrush by Lynne Cherry and Willy was Different: A Children's Story by Norman Rockwell featured Wood Thrushes as the protagonists.
The next species is a common winter visitor to the mid Atlantic states which sometimes, if not observed closely enough, can be mistaken for a late-migrating Wood Thrush. The Hermit Thrush lives up to its name while wintering in open deciduous woods and thickets and mostly keeping to itself. It will, however, join mixed feeding flocks of sparrows and other small birds to help search for food. While similar to the Wood Thrush in appearance, the spotting they have on the chest is less extensive and their brown backs fade into their flanks and sides more noticeably. While they possess an eyering, it can be incomplete and hard to see. In the picture below, the bird also displays a strong malar or throat stripe, but this isn't always typical of this species. Its song is flutey as well, but is clearer and shorter than a Wood Thrush.
A similar looking species to the Hermit Thrush, is the migratory Swainson's Thrush. Previously known as the "Olive-backed Thrush" due to its olive-brown back and tail, its most distinguishing feature is the buffy goggles or eyerings that surround the area near the eyes and bill. This is a key field mark that separates them from Hermit Thrush and Veery. They also have a similar chest to Hermit Thrush with limited spotting. Its song sounds a bit like a reversed version of the Veery's song as it spirals upwards towards the sky on its boreal and montane breeding grounds. I saw some while perusing the woods of the Sourlands in search of some Black-throated Blue Warblers (Setophaga caerulescens) which I initially mistook for Hermit Thrushes. After reviewing my photos however, I was happy to have gotten another F.O.Y species despite coming up empty handed with the warblers.
The last thrush species is one that is near and dear to my heart. I only saw my first one last year and even then, I still am fascinated with their shy nature and twirling, drainpipe song. I am, of course referring to the Veery. The least spotted of the thrushes discussed here and lacking an eyering, it really can't be confused with any of the other ones unless you're looking at it from the back. Their back is more orangey than a Wood Thrush and their shy nature certainly makes seeing one a treat. As a result, they are heard more than seen, and their song has been described as a spiraling warble, a flute stuck in a drainpipe, or even having a swirling, gurgling quality to it. Even its call note sounds as if it were saying "veer....veer". I was saddened when one of the groups we were teaching this past week found a dead specimen under one of the cabin windows. Its limp body hadn't yet gone stiff with rigor mortis and the feathers were, for the most part, intact. As I buried the bird below a maple, I was happy to lay it back into the soft earth where it could finally rest. I say this not because I mourned the loss of such a beautiful specimen, but mainly to prevent other children from asking to hold it even though they'd washed their hands for dinner that evening. Despite that moment of sadness, after seeing them flit like introverts around a library, I was happy to have shared my time with them and to have glimpsed a small part of their wonderful world.
I hope this guide has been helpful in identifying the thrushes that live around us. As for me, it's 12AM and I have work in the morning, so I hope you all have a lovely week.
At this time of year, you are most likely to come across three species of thrush: the ubiquitous American Robin (Turdus migratorius), the aforementioned Wood Thrush, and the migrant Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus). The shyer Veery (C. fuscescens) and Hermit Thrush (C. guttatus) are similar, but aren't seen as commonly. Nonetheless, I will describe and draw comparisons to aid in the identification of each species.
The first species is, as Roger Tory Peterson put it, "the one bird that everyone knows". It is of course, the American Robin, which can be seen year round in the northeast despite its status as a harbinger of spring. While some populations migrate, most birds are resident and will hang around the same area for much of the year. They are sexually dimorphic with males possessing a black head and white eyering, dark brown back, and brick red chest and females being duller brown on their backs and paler orange on their chests. The males song is a richly sung "cheerly-cherrio-cheerup-cheerly" with many variations. When alarmed, it gives off a tutting, cackling call, scolding you from a low branch or while flying away.
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| Male |
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| Female |
The next species is a common winter visitor to the mid Atlantic states which sometimes, if not observed closely enough, can be mistaken for a late-migrating Wood Thrush. The Hermit Thrush lives up to its name while wintering in open deciduous woods and thickets and mostly keeping to itself. It will, however, join mixed feeding flocks of sparrows and other small birds to help search for food. While similar to the Wood Thrush in appearance, the spotting they have on the chest is less extensive and their brown backs fade into their flanks and sides more noticeably. While they possess an eyering, it can be incomplete and hard to see. In the picture below, the bird also displays a strong malar or throat stripe, but this isn't always typical of this species. Its song is flutey as well, but is clearer and shorter than a Wood Thrush.
A similar looking species to the Hermit Thrush, is the migratory Swainson's Thrush. Previously known as the "Olive-backed Thrush" due to its olive-brown back and tail, its most distinguishing feature is the buffy goggles or eyerings that surround the area near the eyes and bill. This is a key field mark that separates them from Hermit Thrush and Veery. They also have a similar chest to Hermit Thrush with limited spotting. Its song sounds a bit like a reversed version of the Veery's song as it spirals upwards towards the sky on its boreal and montane breeding grounds. I saw some while perusing the woods of the Sourlands in search of some Black-throated Blue Warblers (Setophaga caerulescens) which I initially mistook for Hermit Thrushes. After reviewing my photos however, I was happy to have gotten another F.O.Y species despite coming up empty handed with the warblers.
The last thrush species is one that is near and dear to my heart. I only saw my first one last year and even then, I still am fascinated with their shy nature and twirling, drainpipe song. I am, of course referring to the Veery. The least spotted of the thrushes discussed here and lacking an eyering, it really can't be confused with any of the other ones unless you're looking at it from the back. Their back is more orangey than a Wood Thrush and their shy nature certainly makes seeing one a treat. As a result, they are heard more than seen, and their song has been described as a spiraling warble, a flute stuck in a drainpipe, or even having a swirling, gurgling quality to it. Even its call note sounds as if it were saying "veer....veer". I was saddened when one of the groups we were teaching this past week found a dead specimen under one of the cabin windows. Its limp body hadn't yet gone stiff with rigor mortis and the feathers were, for the most part, intact. As I buried the bird below a maple, I was happy to lay it back into the soft earth where it could finally rest. I say this not because I mourned the loss of such a beautiful specimen, but mainly to prevent other children from asking to hold it even though they'd washed their hands for dinner that evening. Despite that moment of sadness, after seeing them flit like introverts around a library, I was happy to have shared my time with them and to have glimpsed a small part of their wonderful world.
I hope this guide has been helpful in identifying the thrushes that live around us. As for me, it's 12AM and I have work in the morning, so I hope you all have a lovely week.
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