THRUSHES

Hermit Thrush

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Catharus guttatus

The Hermit Thrush is a medium-sized North American thrush. It is not very closely related to the other North American migrant species of Catharus, but rather to the Mexican Russet Nightingale-thrush.

Adults have gray-brown or tinged olive upperparts and head. The rump is mostly brown, whereas the tail is chestnut. Upperwing and feather edges are brown. Underparts are white with buff wash on the breast, and dark brown spots on sides of lower neck and breast.

The flanks are mostly pale grayish. The underwing is deep brown and the flight-feathers have whitish bases, forming broad pale and dark stripes visible in flight. The bill is dark horn with a yellowish or flesh-pink base of lower mandible. The eyes are dark brown. Legs and feet are flesh-pink.

Males and females are similar.

Juveniles resemble adults but have finely streaked upperparts and buffy-white underparts with barred lower breast, belly and flanks.

Both sexes measure 5.9 - 7.1 inches in length, having a wingspan of 9.8 - 11.8 inches and weighs 18 - 37 grams.

CALL: Gives frequently a variety of “tuck” calls, or “chuck”, “choop”, “quit” or “wit” notes.

SONG: Very similar to that of the Wood Thrush, a series of clear and musical phrases at different pitches, with a pipping note at the beginning, followed by two phrases with the first one longest and lowest in pitch, and the remainder clear and sweet, but fading at the end in a down-slurred flourish. This is a rich, beautiful song, sometimes mentioned in legends.

Feeds mainly on insects and berries.

Breeds mainly in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests, preferring open forest or woodland and the areas along the forest edge.

The breeding habitats usually vary depending on the range and may include woods with various tree species (spruce, sphagnum and pine), second-growth with standing dead trees, wooded canyons and mountain forest.

During winter and on migration, it frequents a large variety of woodland.  

Breeds in southern Alaska and western Canada, and winters in the western USA and northern and central Mexico.

The female builds a bulky nest made with twigs, bark strips, dry grasses, leaves, ferns and moss. It is lined with pine needles, rootlets, willow catkins, plant fibers or fine grass.

She lays 3 - 5 pale blue to greenish-blue eggs, sometimes with dark markings and incubates them alone for 12 - 13 days. She is fed by the male during this period. The chicks are fed by both parents, and fledge about 12 days after hatching.

SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.oiseaux-birds.com