Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Reclusive Swainson’s Thrush

By: Tom Berg

There are quite a few different species of thrushes in the bird world, and one of the more interesting is the Swainson’s Thrush. Like most thrushes, these birds are fairly shy and secretive. They prefer to stay out of sight in the shelter of the forest’s dense undergrowth where few people see them. They have a beautiful song, though, and they are not shy about singing for extended periods.

The Swainson’s Thrush is slightly smaller than an American Robin (which is also a species of thrush, by the way). It has a wingspan of 11-12 inches, and is about seven inches long. Its brown wings and back contrast with its white belly and spotted breast. Its head is round with a warmer brown coloration, and its dark eyes feature a light buffy-colored eyering. They also have a characteristic thin brown stripe on either side of its throat.

Swainson’s thrushes eat insects for the most part, caught as they hop along the ground under the trees. Caterpillars, beetles, ants, moths and flies are among their favorite snacks. They also search for insects and spiders among the branches of deciduous trees and pines, picking them off of leaves and stems with great dexterity. They are accomplished flycatchers, too, and can capture flying insects in mid-air. In fact, Swainson’s thrushes are sometimes called “mosquito thrushes” due to their flycatching abilities. When insects are scarce, they are happy to eat berries like raspberries, blackberries, sumac, cherries and other small wild fruits.

Like many songbirds of North America, the Swainson’s thrush spends the winter in Central and South America, and in the springtime great flocks of them migrate north. Some individuals stop in the mountainous areas of the west and the West Coast to breed, but the vast majority of these thrushes migrate through most of the continental United States and head for the thick northern forests of Canada, Alaska and the far northeastern U.S. states. Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont host good numbers of nesting thrushes every year.

Keep an eye out for them this spring and summer!

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