Entries Tagged 'Thrushes' ↓
September 4th, 2007 — Bird Conservation, Thrushes
The Birdfreak Team has a fascination with thrushes, evident in the use of Veery as Jennie’s online name and the posts we’ve done previously on the blog.
Mexico has a fine selection of thrushes, birds that fall into the family Turdidae. Some of these are well-known here in the U.S., others are rare finds in the borderlands, yet many still are unique to Mexico and places southward.
There are approximately 26 thrushes found in Mexico, including all three bluebirds - Eastern, Western, and Mountain - Townsend’s Solitaire, American Robin, and one of our personal favorites, Veery!
The four “brown” thrushes of the U.S. winter in Mexico - Swainson’s, Hermit, Gray-cheeked, and Wood Thrush. Part of the Wood Thrush’s decline can be attributed to loss of habitat in Mexico, showing how important it is to conserve all their habitat.
Nightingale-Thrushes
Part of Mexico’s thrush attraction is their (at least) five Nightingale-Thrushes. These small thrushes have wonderful songs and a unique beauty. Their name alone is enough to pique interest in these retreating birds. The five include:
- Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush - widespread and a conspicuous singer
- Russet Nightingale-Thrush - endemic to Mexico
- Ruddy-Capped Nightingale-Thrush - similar to Orange-billed & Russet but a bit more musical
- Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush - this bird was spotted in southern Texas, in Pharr at the Williams property
- Spotted Nightingale-Thrush - our personal favorite and found only in the extreme southern part of Mexico
Clay-colored Robin, Pharr, Texas 2005
Robins
When we think of robins we think of the abundant, orange-breasted thrushes (American Robins) of lawns across the U.S. But Mexico has more robins, some of which are hard to believe.
- Black Robin - endemic to the cloud forests
- Mountain Robin - found only in extreme southern Mexico and southward
- Clay-colored Robin - a species that is expanding steadily into the southern U.S.
- White-throated Robin - widespread and variable
- Rufous-backed Robin - endemic to western Mexico
- Rufous-collared Robin - limited to the highlands of southern Mexico and into Guatemala
Other cool Mexican thrushes
Not to be left out are some other really nice thrushes that round out Mexico’s wide variety. Brown-backed and Slate-colored Solitaires provide haunting songs year round and Grayson’s [Rufous-backed] Thrush is a poorly studied endemic of the state of Nayarit.
Last but not least is our most wanted thrush, Zorzal Azteca, the Aztec Thrush. Nothing quite says Mexico like the Aztecs and this thrush is unique and gorgeous, as well as endemic.
The Birdfreak Team has started a new Website to help with the promotion of Mexico’s birds and their conservation -mxbirds.com. It is our hope to connect with birders and conservationists in Mexico as well as the U.S. We have yet to travel to Mexico, but their birds are intriguing and also under-protected.
Mexico is lacking in similar wonderful resources we have in the U.S. - online bird resources like those offered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, hundreds of localized birding guides, and the large community of birders found in the American Birding Association. There are many groups working with Mexico, but we feel there should be more.
This is an ongoing project and is in its early stages of development. Please join us and visit often as the site evolves.
September 1st, 2007 — Thrushes
Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion lists whimsical names for North American birds. The Eastern Bluebird he calls the Eastern Wire-Thrush.
Today we headed out to a wonderful place we bird often, Oak Ridge Forest Preserve. We were hoping to catch numerous birds in their journey of migration. While we came up short on the migrants, we were overloaded with Eastern Bluebirds. Continue reading →
March 25th, 2007 — Bird Migration, Thrushes
Illinois has seven regularly occuring thrushes, five of which are long-distance migrants: Wood Thrush, Swainson’s Thrush, Grey-cheeked Thrush, Hermit Thrush, and Veery. American Robins and Eastern Bluebirds (also in the thrush family) are year-round residents or short-distance migrants.
Wood Thrush
One of the most common of the migratory thrushes, the Wood Thrush is easily identified by its mystical song but at times is somewhat difficult to see. It is the only one of the five that commonly nests in Illinois. The Wood Thrush resides in heavy forested areas and spends most of its time near the ground. There are some concerns over on-going population declines due to deforestation and cowbird parasitism.
A Wood Thrush often returns to the same breeding territory in successive years. It also may return to the same wintering area each year. - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Hermit Thrush
Identified by its reddish tail, brown back, and spotty chest, the Hermit Thrush spends the winter in North America, switching its diet from insects in the warmer months to a mixture of fruit and insects. The Hermit Thrush’s song is melodious and haunting. Population trends show they are increasing over most of their range.
East of the Rocky Mountains the Hermit Thrush usually nests on the ground. In the West, it is more likely to nest in trees. - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Swainson’s Thrush
The Swainson’s Thrush can be identified by its buffy face and prominant eyering. This thrush also has a melodious flute song that is very enjoyable to listen to.
The Swainson’s Thrush is the only woodland thrush whose song goes up in pitch. - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
They mostly nest in coniferous forests and winter as far south as Argentina. Unfortunately, the Swainson’s Thrush’s numbers appear to be declining.
Gray-cheeked Thrush
The Gray-cheeked Thrush is closely related to Bicknell’s Thrush and despite having a much larger range, has not gained as much attention. The Gray-cheeked has a plain gray face with light streaking but no eyering. It migrates through Illinois and is usually a headline item on birding hotlines.
Of all the American spotted thrushes, the Gray-cheeked has the most northern breeding range. Consequently this shy skulker of the underbrush is not well known and is rather infrequently seen. - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Veery
The Veery is the least spotted of the migratory thrushes and has a distinct orangish brown (”tawny”) coloring. The Veery’s call is a descending “da-vee-ur, vee-ur, veer, veer,” as if echoing part of its name. The Veery nests in damp deciduous forests of the north and Rocky Mountains. There is some decline throughout its range.
A study of migration using radio telemetry showed that the Veery can fly up to 160 miles (285 km) in one night, and that it can fly at altitudes above 1.2 miles (2,000 m). - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
The five migratory thrushes of Illinois make up some of the highlights of spring and fall migration. They are all skulkers and best identified by sound, and thus provide an interesting challenge to birders. However, these thrushes can be found fairly easily in good backyard habitat suitable for them.
The Birdfreak Team’s backyard preserve, The Callaway Nature Preserve, has attracted all but the Gray-cheeked (possibility). Thrushes need lots of cover so brush-piles, shrubs, and hostas among others can do the trick. Fresh water, especially drippers also help attract thrushes.
A trick to finding thrushes is to scan the area below eye-level to the ground and watch for slight movement. Thrushes often freeze for relatively long periods of time, providing good looks.
eBird Histogram of Illinois Migrant Thrushes
