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Bicknell's Thrush

Catharus bicknelliOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Thrushes (Turdidae)

Bicknell's Thrush Breeding Male Portrait
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General

Bicknell's Thrush: Small thrush with olive-brown upperparts, buff breast with brown spots, and white or buff belly. Eye has indistinct gray ring. Upper mandible is black with pale base and lower mandible is yellow with black tip. Tail and rump have rust-brown wash. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Bicknell's Thrush: Breeds from southern Quebec and the Maritimes south to northern New England and northern New York. Preferred habitats include alpine areas near tree line.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"veer-u, veer-u, veer-u"

Interesting Facts

  • The Bicknell’s Thrush is among the least-known breeding birds in North America. They were considered a subspecies of the Gray-cheeked Thrush until 1995.
  • This bird was named after Eugene Bicknell, an American amateur ornithologist, who discovered the species on Slide Mountain in the Catskills in the late 19th century.
  • Their restricted mountain-top breeding range and loss of habitat in their Caribbean wintering grounds have made it a species of conservation concern.
  • 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 Bicknell's 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 Catharus bicknelli
Length6.25 Inches
Wingspan10.5 Inches

Bicknell's Thrush

Bicknell's Thrush: Small thrush, olive-brown upperparts, buff breast with brown spots, white or buff belly. Eye has faint gray ring. Upper mandible black with pale base, lower mandible yellow with black tip. Tail, rump have rust-brown wash. Swift, direct flight with jerky wing strokes.

● Song: "veer-u, veer-u, veer-u"

● Foraging & Feeding: Bicknell's Thrush: Eats insects, spiders, and earthworms; also berries and fruits in fall; forages on the ground and in shrubs.

● Breeding & nesting: Bicknell's Thrush: Three to six green blue to pale blue eggs with faint brown marks are laid in a cup nest made of grass, leaves, bark, mud, and mosses and sometimes lined with a few leaves. Incubation ranges from 13 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Bicknell's Thrush: Gray-cheeked Thrush is larger, with olive-gray upperparts, olive-brown tail, and gray wash on breast, sides, and flanks.

Flight Pattern

Relatively swift direct flight with somewhat jerky wing strokes.
Bicknell's Thrush Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Bicknell's Thrush: Breeds from southern Quebec and the Maritimes south to northern New England and northern New York. Preferred habitats include alpine areas near tree line.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationYes but uncommon
MigrationNeotropical Migrant
Weight1.1 - 1.2 Ounces