Hylocichla mustelina
adult
The Wood Thrush is a plump-boded, colorful, well-marked songbird. The sexes are similar. Adults have rich reddish-brown upperparts. The face has pale, dark-streaked cheeks and a pale eyering. The throat is pale; the underparts are otherwise whitish but heavily marked with black spots. The legs are pink, and the bill is pink with a dark tip. Juveniles are brown and spotted, but by fall, when they migrate, their plumage is similar to that of an adult aside from pale tips to the wing coverts.
The Wood Thrush is present as a breeding species mainly from May to September. It spends the rest of the year in Central America. This secretive bird’s song is much admired.
FACT FILE
LENGTH 7.5 in (19 cm)
FOOD Invertebrates and berries
HABITAT Deciduous woodland
STATUS Widespread and locally common summer visitor
VOICE Song comprises a series of fluty notes, and ends in a trill. Call is a rapid ptt-ptt-ptt
