Varied Thrush
Varied Thrush
Ixoreus naevius
At a Glance
The haunting songs of the Varied Thrush echo through the dense humid forests of the Pacific Northwest. Long minor-key whistles repeated after deliberate pauses, they seem like sounds without a source; only a careful searcher will find the bird itself. Although it looks superficially like a American Robin, the Varied Thrush is far more elusive, usually feeding on the ground among dense thickets. Typical of the far west, it sometimes surprises birders by straying all the way to the Atlantic Coast in winter.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Perching Birds, Thrushes
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Arroyos and Canyons, Forests and Woodlands, High Mountains, Urban and Suburban Habitats
Region
Alaska and The North, California, Eastern Canada, Great Lakes, Mid Atlantic, New England, Northwest, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southwest, Texas, Western Canada
Behavior
Direct Flight, Rapid Wingbeats
Population
35.000.000
Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps
Varied Thrush migrates relatively late in fall and early in spring. Numbers present in southern wintering areas are quite variable from year to year. A few stray far to the east every year in fall and winter, some reaching New England.
Description
Sexes similar; male slightly larger — Length: 8.3 - 10.2 in (21 - 26 cm); wingspan: 13.4 - 15 in (34 - 38 cm); weight: 2.3 - 3.4 oz (65 - 96 g). Males show an orange throat and eyebrow, dark chest band, extensive orange wing markings. Female Varied Thrush is duller than male, with paler upperparts. Juvenile mottled on chest, but has same wing pattern as adults.
Size
About the size of a Robin
Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Gray, Orange
Wing Shape
Pointed
Tail Shape
Rounded, Square-tipped
Songs and Calls
Song 2 or 3 buzzy whistles, each drawn out until it fades away, followed by a short silence. Call a low took.
Call Pattern
Flat
Call Type
Buzz, Chirp/Chip, Trill
Habitat
Thick, wet forest, conifers; in winter, woods, ravines, thickets. Breeds in coniferous forest of various types, but most common in dense, wet forest near the coast, in areas of fir, hemlock, and spruce with dense understory. In migration and winter favors coniferous woods but also occurs in undergrowth of other woods, especially near streams.
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Behavior
Eggs
3-4, sometimes 2-5. Pale blue, lightly dotted with brown. Incubation is by female, probably about 2 weeks.
Young
Both parents feed nestlings. Development of young and age at which they leave the nest are not well known. Probably 2 broods per year.
Feeding Behavior
The Varied Thrush does much of its foraging on the ground, usually under dense cover but sometimes on open lawns; it may use its bill to toss leaf-litter aside as it searches for insects. Feeds on berries either in trees and shrubs or after they fall to ground.
Diet
Mostly insects and berries. Feeds on many insects, especially in summer, including beetles, ants, caterpillars, crickets, and many others; also eats many millipedes, sowbugs, snails, earthworms, spiders, other invertebrates. In winter, the Varied Thrush switches to eating berries and wild fruits, as well as some seeds and acorns.
Nesting
The male Varied Thrush sings in spring to defend territory, singing most frequently at dawn and dusk and after a rain. Nest: Usually placed in conifer, at base of branches against trunk, 5-15' above the ground. Sites vary: Occasionally much higher; especially in far north, may nest very low in deciduous thickets or on the ground. Nest (probably built by female) is a bulky open cup of twigs, moss, leaves, and bark fibers, lined with softer materials such as grass and rootlets.
Conservation
Conservation Status
Could be vulnerable to loss of habitat through cutting of northwestern forests, but the Varied Thrush is currently still common.
Climate Threats Facing the Varied 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.
