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Varied Thrush

Ixoreus naeviusOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Thrushes (Turdidae)

Varied Thrush Portrait
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General

Varied Thrush: Large thrush with dark gray upperparts, rust-brown throat, breast, sides and eyebrows, black breast band, and white belly and undertail. Wings are dark gray with two rust-brown bars. Tail is dark gray with white corners. Female is much duller.

Range and Habitat

Varied Thrush: Breeds from Alaska and Yukon south to Oregon, California, Idaho, and Montana. Spends winters from coastal Alaska southward. Preferred habitats include dense coniferous or deciduous forests with abundant water.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"took"

Interesting Facts

  • The Varied Thrush defends and maintains small feeding territories around bird feeders. They are aggressive and dominate many other feeder bird species.
  • There is an extremely rare variant of this species in which all the orange in the plumage is replaced by white.
  • The best clue to this bird's presence is usually its song, which often seems to emanate from the forest itself, and is generally unhelpful to observers wishing to locate the singer.
  • A group of thrushes are collectively known as a "hermitage" and a "mutation" of thrushes.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Varied Thrush
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Ixoreus naevius
Length9.5 Inches
Wingspan15 Inches

Varied Thrush

Varied Thrush: Large thrush, dark gray upperparts, rust-brown throat, breast, sides, eyebrows, black breast band, and white belly and undertail. Wings are dark gray with two rust-brown bars. Tail is dark gray with white corners. Legs and feet are brown. Direct, swift flight on rapidly beating wings.

● Song: "took"

● Foraging & Feeding: Varied Thrush: Eats fruits, berries, and insects; forages on the ground, in trees, and in shrubs.

● Breeding & nesting: Varied Thrush: Two to five pale blue eggs with brown flecks are laid in a moss-lined twig cup built in a small tree, sapling, or bush. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Varied Thrush: American Robin lacks dark breast band and rust-brown eyestripes and wing-bars.

Flight Pattern

Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.
Varied-Thrush Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Varied Thrush: Breeds from Alaska and Yukon south to Oregon, California, Idaho, and Montana. Spends winters from coastal Alaska southward. Preferred habitats include dense coniferous or deciduous forests with abundant water.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationCommon to fairly common
MigrationMigratory
Weight2.7 Ounces