Hermit Thrush
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| Hermit Thrush | ||||||||||||||
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| Catharus guttatus (Pallas,, 1811) |
The Hermit Thrush, Catharus guttatus, is a medium-sized thrush.
This species is 15-17 cm in length, and has the white-dark-white underwing patterm characteristic of Catharus thrushes. Adults are mainly brown on the upperparts, with reddish tails. The underparts are white with dark spots on the breast and grey or brownish flanks. They have pink legs and a white eye ring. Birds in the east are more olive-brown on the upperparts; western birds are more grey-brown.
Their breeding habitat is coniferous or mixed woods across Canada, Alaska and the northeastern and western United States. They make a cup nest on the ground or relatively low in a tree.
These birds migrate to the southern United States south to Central America. They are very rare vagrants to western Europe.
They forage on the forest floor, also in trees or shrubs, mainly eating insects and berries.
This bird has an ethereal flute-like song constructed from a descending musical phrase repeated at different pitches. They often sing from a high open location.
This is the state bird of Vermont.