Swainson's Thrush

Photo by jvhigbee
Spanaway, Washington, USA, September 2005

Catharus ustulatus

Identification

16-18cm

• Brown upperparts (olive-brown on Eastern birds, reddish-brown on Western birds)
• White underparts
• Brown flanks
• Lighter brown breast with darker spots
• Pink legs
• Light brown eye ring
  

Distribution

Breeds virtually throughout North America from Alaska to California. Wintering in the West Indies, and Central and South America from Mexico to Argentina.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognised^[1]:
Russet-backed

• C. u. almae:

• Southern Alaska and western Canada; winters to Gulf Coast of southern US

• C. u. ustulatus:

• Coastal south-eastern Alaska to southern Oregon; winters to western Mexico

• C. u. oedicus:

• Northern Washington to southern California; winters to southern Mexico

• C. u. swainsoni: (Olive-backed):

• Eastern Canada to eastern US; winters to West Indies and northern Argentina

Habitat

Coniferous and mixed woodland.

Behaviour

Diet

The diet includes insects, fruits and berries.

Breeding

They build a cup nest on a horizontal tree branch.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Wikipedia
3. BF Member observations

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Swainson's Thrush. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Swainson%27s_Thrush

External Links

Search for photos of Swainson's Thrush in the gallery