Wood Thrush

The Wood Thrush, Hylocichla mustelina, is a medium-sized thrush, exhibiting a cinnamon-brown crown and upper back, with a white underbelly peppered with large dark brown spots. Both sexes are similarly adorned, making them indistinguishable in the field. This bird is the sole representative of its genus and is recognized by its larger size compared to the Catharus thrushes, yet slightly smaller than the familiar American Robin.

Identification Tips

When identifying the Wood Thrush, look for its brown upper parts and mottled brown and white underparts. The breast and belly are white with conspicuous dark brown spots. It has white eye rings and pink legs. Juveniles share a similar appearance but have additional spotting on their back, neck, and wing coverts.

Habitat

The Wood Thrush favors deciduous and mixed forests with a dense shrub layer for breeding, particularly those with moist ground and running water. It thrives in late-successional, upland mesic forests and requires a fairly open forest floor, moist soil, and leaf litter for optimal breeding conditions.

Distribution

This species breeds from southern Canada to northern Florida and from the Atlantic coast to the Missouri River and the eastern Great Plains. Come winter, it migrates to the lowlands of southern Mexico through Panama, primarily along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Behaviour

The Wood Thrush is a solitary bird, though it may occasionally join mixed-species flocks in winter. It defends a breeding territory that can range from 800 to 28,000 square meters. The species is known for its anting behavior, where it uses ants to possibly acquire defensive secretions or supplement its own preen oil.

Song & Calls

The male Wood Thrush is celebrated for its enchanting song, considered by many to be the most beautiful in North America. The song is a complex symphony with a flute-like quality, as the male can sing two notes at once. The song consists of a soft introductory portion, a clear ee-oh-lay, and a final trill-like, ventriloquial flourish. The bird also emits a tut, tut call when agitated and a buzzing heeh during nocturnal flight.

Breeding

Monogamous by nature, the Wood Thrush begins its breeding season in spring. About half of all mated pairs manage to raise two broods per season, with each brood consisting of two to four chicks. The female selects the nest site and constructs the nest, which is not reused for subsequent broods. Eggs are incubated for about 13 days, with fledglings leaving the nest 12 to 15 days post-hatching.

Similar Species

The Wood Thrush may be confused with other brownish thrushes, but its larger size and more pronounced spotting on the breast help distinguish it from its relatives.

Diet and Feeding

An omnivore, the Wood Thrush primarily consumes soil invertebrates and larvae, supplementing its diet with fruits during certain seasons. It forages on the forest floor, flipping leaves to uncover insects, and fruits are swallowed whole.

Conservation status

Despite being classified as Least Concern, the Wood Thrush has experienced a significant decline, approximately 50% since 1966, due to habitat fragmentation, increased predation, and cowbird parasitism in North America, as well as habitat loss in its wintering grounds.