| Swainson's Thrush | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Catharus ustulatus |
The Swainson's Thrush, Catharus ustulatus, is a medium-sized thrush.
Adults are brown on the upperparts. The underparts are white with brown on the flanks; the breast is lighter brown with darker spots. They have pink legs and a light brown eye ring. Birds in the east are more olive-brown on the upperparts; western birds are more reddish-brown.
Their breeding habitat is coniferous woods with dense undergrowth across Canada, Alaska and the northern United States, also deciduous wooded areas on the Pacific coast of North America. They make a cup nest on a horizontal tree branch.
These birds migrate to southern Mexico and as far south as Argentina. Swainson's Thrush is a very rare wanderer to western Europe.
They forage on the forest floor, also in trees. They mainly eat insects, fruits and berries.
This bird's song is a hurried series of flute-like tones spiralling upwards. They may be displaced by the Hermit Thrush where their ranges overlap.
This bird was named after William Swainson, an English ornithologist.
