Sunday, October 26, 2014

Bird of the Week #3

Our Bird of the Week is the Hermit Thrush! It was either this or Eastern Towhee to get into the Halloween spirit, but I had to choose the Hermit Thrush because it seemed more significant.

Hermit Thrushes are one of the smaller types of thrushes, about the size of a towhee. The can be told apart from other thrushes due to their reddish tail contrasting greatly with their tan body. Like other Cathurus thrushes, it has a tan belly with black speckles. It also frequently bobs its tail. They usually forage on the ground or in undergrowth and are usually the easiest thrush to find in their range. Their song is a bunch of musical phrases similar to a Wood Thrush.

Hermit Thrushes breed in Canada, the Appalachians, and the Rockies. They winter mostly in the southern half of the United States and Mexico. In New York, they are mostly found from early March
to late April, and from late September through late November, Sometimes they can be found during the winter, and often a few hang around. Hermit Thrushes can usually be found without much trouble in a small clearing or a patch of bushes. Around now they are very easy to find, and are the only thrush around.

That's it for this addition of Bird of the Week. I am happy to announce that next week's bird will be a more uncommon species than will be in most of these posts. Stay tuned!

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