Bird GuideThrushesGray-cheeked Thrush

At a Glance

All the brown-backed thrushes can be shy and hard to see, but the Gray-cheek is perhaps the most elusive. During migration it hides in dense woods, slipping away when a birder approaches. On its far northern nesting grounds it may be more easily seen, especially in late evening, when it sings from treetops.
Category
Perching Birds, Thrushes
Conservation
Low Concern
Habitat
Forests and Woodlands, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets, Tundra and Boreal Habitats
Region
Alaska and The North, Eastern Canada, Florida, Great Lakes, Mid Atlantic, New England, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southeast, Texas, Western Canada
Behavior
Direct Flight
Population
46.000.000

Range & Identification

Migration & Range Maps

Migrates mostly at night. Birds from Alaska (and eastern Siberia) apparently migrate far east in fall before turning south. Many probably make a nonstop flight from northeastern North America to northern South America.

Description

6 1/2 -8" (17-20 cm). Dull brown back, spotted chest. Paler around eye, especially behind eye, but no sharp eye-ring. Face and neck grayish, lack strong buff tones.
Size
About the size of a Robin, About the size of a Sparrow
Color
Black, Brown, Gray, White
Wing Shape
Pointed
Tail Shape
Notched, Rounded, Square-tipped

Songs and Calls

Series of thin reedy notes inflected downward at the end.
Call Pattern
Falling, Undulating
Call Type
Chirp/Chip, Flute, Trill, Whistle

Habitat

Boreal forest, tundra scrub; in migration, other woodlands. Breeds in northern spruce forest, often rather open and stunted, and north of treeline in thickets of willow and alder on tundra. Winters in tropical forest.

Behavior

Eggs

4, sometimes 3-5, perhaps rarely 6. Pale blue, with vague brown spots, sometimes almost unmarked. Incubation is by female, 12-14 days.

Young

Both parents feed nestlings. Young leave nest about 11-13 days after hatching.

Feeding Behavior

Forages mostly on the ground, hopping about under cover of dense thickets. Sometimes seen feeding on berries up in shrubs or trees.

Diet

Mostly insects and berries. Diet through the year is not known in detail. In North America, feeds on a variety of insects, including beetles, caterpillars, ants, wasps, fly larvae, and many others; also spiders and some other invertebrates. Also eats many berries and wild fruits. Winter diet in tropics poorly known.

Nesting

Male arrives first on breeding grounds and establishes territory, defending it by singing. In courtship, male pursues female in swift flight among the trees. Nest: Often placed very low or even on the ground; usually less than 10' up, sometimes up to 24'. Ground nests are often among bases of willow or alder shoots, while higher nests may be against trunk of conifer at base of branches. Nest (built by female) is a well-made open cup of grass, moss, twigs, weeds, strips of bark, sometimes with some mud added; lined with fine grass and rootlets.

Climate Vulnerability

Conservation Status

Southern breeding populations of Gray-cheeks may be declining.

Climate Map

Audubon’s scientists have used 140 million bird observations and sophisticated climate models to project how climate change will affect the range of the Gray-cheeked Thrush. Learn even more in our Audubon’s Survival By Degrees project.

Climate Threats Facing the Gray-cheeked Thrush

Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.