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Wood Thrush

Hylocichla mustelina

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesForestCup nestSmall · 50 g
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), photo 1
Photo: (c) Anna Hess, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Anna Hess · cc-by
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), photo 2
Photo: Tommy Andriollo · CC BY 4.0
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), photo 3
Photo: Tommy Andriollo · CC BY 4.0
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), photo 4
Photo: datadan · CC BY 4.0
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), photo 5
Photo: Roger A. Morales-Flores · CC BY 4.0
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), photo 6
Photo: Katherine King · CC BY 4.0
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), photo 7
Photo: Irene · CC0
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), photo 8
Photo: Irene · CC0
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), photo 9
Photo: josebarrientos · CC BY 4.0
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), photo 10
Photo: Hylocichla mustelina.jpg: Steve Maslowski, US Fish and Wildlife Service derivative work: Papa November (talk) · Public domain

What the Wood Thrush sounds like

Sonogram of the Wood Thrush: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Philip Vanbergen · Song · St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Wood Thrush: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Philip Vanbergen · Song · BREC Frenchtown Road Conservation Area, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Wood Thrush: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma · Song · Wild River State Park, Chisago County, Minnesota, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The adult wood thrush is 18 to 21.5 cm (7.1 to 8.5 in) long, with a wingspan of 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 in) and a body mass of 48 to 72 g (1.7 to 2.5 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 9.6 to 11.6 cm (3.8 to 4.6 in), the bill is 1.6 to 2 cm (0.63 to 0.79 in) and the tarsus is 2.8 to 3.3 cm (1.1 to 1.3 in). It is distinctly larger than the Catharus thrushes with which the species is often sympatric but slightly smaller than the common American robin. The longest known lifespan for a wood thrush in the wild is 8 years, 11 months. Voice: The wood thrush has been reported to have one of the most beautiful songs of North American birds. American naturalist Henry David Thoreau wrote: Whenever a man hears it he is young, and Nature is in her spring; wherever he hears it, it is a new world and a free country, and the gates of Heaven are not shut against him.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Wood Thrush

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 4 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is May, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Wood Thrush

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 16 countries with regular records, and 6 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

United States Canada Belize Costa Rica Guatemala Mexico Honduras Nicaragua Panama El Salvador Cuba Puerto Rico Bermuda Bahamas Cayman Islands St. Pierre & Miquelon

Recorded as a rare visitor in Colombia, Portugal, Germany, Venezuela, United Kingdom, Curaçao.

About the Wood Thrush

The wood thrush is a North American passerine bird in the family Turdidae and is the only species placed in the genus Hylocichla. It is closely related to other thrushes such as the American robin and is widely distributed across North America, wintering in Central America and southern Mexico. The wood thrush is the official bird of the District of Columbia.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) FieldfareTurdus pilarisThe fieldfare is easily recognisable with its slate-grey head, nape and rump, dark brown back, blackish tail and boldly speckled breast. Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatusThis species is 16–20 cm (6.3–7.9 in) in length. Redwing (Turdus iliacus) RedwingTurdus iliacusThe thrush is 20–24 cm long with a wingspan of 33–34.5 cm and a weight of 50–75 g.

Side by side: Fieldfare vs Wood Thrush · Swainson's Thrush vs Wood Thrush · Redwing vs Wood Thrush

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