Thrushes

A Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus)
peers down from its leafy perch on fall migration.  
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

The days are getting longer, and migrant birds are returning to our area. Thrushes are some of my favorites and many are winging their way north from the tropics and will be here soon. Others stay in the Southeast year-round and one spends the whole winter with us. Thrushes are classified in the family Turididae which includes new world thrushes, Eastern Bluebirds and American Robins.

Wood Thrush (Hylochicla mustelina).
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 

The iconic thrush that will be arriving soon is the Wood Thrush (Hylochicla mustelina).  This medium sized songbird winters from southern Mexico to Panama and breeds throughout much of North American. The head and back are reddish-brown while the breast and belly are white with bold black spots.  Male Wood Thrushes have one of the most beautiful songs of all North American birds.  The ringing, flute-like song sounds through the forest and is produced by the Wood Thrush’s unique voice box, the syrinx.  The syrinx has two parts so the Wood Thrush can sing an unaccompanied duet.  The Wood Thrush is a Near Threatened species whose population has been reduced by half since the 1960s.   Fragmentation of the forest where they breed in North American have made Wood Thrushes more vulnerable to Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) that are nest parasites.  The Brown-headed Cowbirds lay their eggs in the Wood Thrush nest and the larger Cowbird chick outcompetes the Thrush chicks for food.  Habitat loss on their wintering grounds has also reduced their numbers but shade grown coffee farms in Central America provide good wintering habitat. 

Swainson's Thrush feeding on Red Mulberry (Morus rubra)
during spring migration.
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 

The Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) is a neotropical migrant that passes through our area on its way to breeding grounds in Canada, Alaska and the western mountains.  This thrush has brown or gray on the back, with spots on the breast that are less extensive than on the Wood Thrush and a buffy eye ring.  Swainson’s Thrushes have a song like that of Wood Thrushes but perhaps not as striking.  Our area hosts these birds for a few weeks on spring and fall migration. 

Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus).
Rowan County, North Carolina.  

Hermit Thrush showing its reddish tail.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Hermit Thrushes (Catharus guttatus) migrate south for the winter, but not all go to tropical climes. They are common winter birds in our area, and we see them eating fruits and insects on warm days. Hermit Thrushes have a white breast with spots near the throat and a brown back.  The most distinguishing characteristic of this thrush is its reddish tail that it bobs continuously. 

Veery (Catharus fuscescens).
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 

The Veery (Catharus fuscescens) is the smallest and palest of the Catharus thrushes.  Veeries are cinnamon-brown above with small, light spots on the throat and upper breast. They breed on the border lands of the United States and Canada, and south along the Rockies and Appalachian Mountain chains.  Veeries winter in Brazil.  

Male Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis).
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Female Eastern Bluebird.
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

Male Eastern Bluebird at nest.
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

Juvenile Eastern Bluebird.
Rowan County, North Carolina.

The Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) is a common permanent resident in much of eastern North America, and south through the mountains of Mexico to Central America.  The northern-most populations migrate south for the winter.  Male Eastern Bluebirds are brilliant blue on the crown of the head, wings, back and tail.  They have a white belly and a reddish-orange breast. Females are only slightly less colorful with muted blue on their head and back.  Juvenile Eastern Bluebirds have spots on the breast denoting their thrush heritage.  Eastern Bluebirds naturally nest in old woodpecker holes and will happily use man-made boxes.    

Male American Robin (Turdus migratorius).
Rowan County, North Carolina.

American Robins (Turdus migratorius) are the largest thrushes in eastern North America.   While the genus Turdus invites snickers from middle school boys, the word is Greek for thrush.  American Robins were named by early English settlers of North America because they resembled the European Robin, although the European bird is classified in an entirely different family.  The American Robin is one of the most recognizable of our birds with the dark brown or black head, dark back and tail and its brick red breast.  The coloration of the males is more intense than that of the females and the immature birds have spots on the breast.  American Robins eat fruits, insects and are a common sight feeding on worms in suburban lawns. 

Red-legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus)
a vagrant thrush from Cuba.
Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden, Florida.

The Red-legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus) is a native of the islands of the Greater Antilles and Bahamas but sometimes a stray will reach Florida.  In December 2020, at the height of the COVID 19 pandemic, one of these wayward Red-legged Thrushes showed up near Key West, Florida.  Diane and I went looking for this rare bird in the uncertain world of no vaccines, masks and closed businesses. It was reported at the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden on Stock Key and luckily the garden was open to the public.  The friendly folks at the ticket counter looked at our binoculars and camera and knew why we had come.  They directed us to a fig tree near the entrance to the garden and there,  up on a limb near the crown of the tree was the Red-legged Thrush.  The bird was dark gray with white on the chin and a black throat.  It had orange on the belly, red eye rings and bright red legs.  There are several subspecies of Red-legged Thrush each on its own island.  The color pattern on this bird told us it had come from Cuba, only about 100 miles away.  

Thrushes have a marvelous variety of colors, from the subdued shading of Swainson’s Thrushes to the exuberance of the Eastern Bluebirds.  Their songs are musical and varied, and many species come right into our yards.  Soon the Hermit Thrushes will leave us to fly north to breed and the Wood Thrushes will return from the south and nest in our forests.  Swainson’s Thrushes and Veeries will pass through, and the American Robins and Eastern Bluebirds will begin nesting in our neighborhoods.  I am pleased to have these thrushes (spending time with us.   

American Robin eating Crab Apples (Malus sp.).
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 

Orioles We Have Known

 

The male Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)
that appeared in our yard.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

In January 2025 the orange, black and white wonder that is the Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) showed up in our yard.  Diane and I have been trying to get orioles to visit our yard for years.  Baltimore Orioles regularly winter in the Southeast, but we have not been lucky enough to attract one, until now.  

An oriole feeder with grape jelly and orange slices.
Rowan County, North Carolina.

Our friends gave us suggestions, put out orange slices, give them grape jelly, hang a sugar water feeder.  Of course, oriole feeders must be orange.  It seems orioles are attracted to that color, whether it is an orange fruit or an orange-colored feeder.  We did all these things and despite the temptations, the orioles stayed away.  

An oriole feeder with nectar.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

There are 32 species of orioles in the New World.  They have a mainly tropical distribution, but 8 species are regularly found in North America.  As you move toward the equator the oriole diversity goes up.  New World Orioles are in the Blackbird family, the Icteridae and share a common color pattern of black, white and orange or yellow. Orioles eat insects including tent caterpillars, nectar and the darkest and ripest fruit. Most oriole species build woven, gourd-shaped hanging nests. Old World Orioles have a similar color pattern to the New World Orioles but are classified in a completely different family, the Oriolidae.  

Male Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius).
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 

The Eastern United States has two native oriole species, the Baltimore Oriole and the Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius).  Both these orioles nest in eastern North America and winter in the Southeastern United States or the tropics.  Orchard Orioles are smaller than Baltimore Orioles and the males are dark chestnut and black with white wing bars while the females are yellow.  We see Orchard Orioles in spring and summer in our area.  They prefer open woodlands and brushy edges of fields.   

Male Baltimore Oriole.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Male Baltimore Orioles have black heads, backs and wings with bright orange below, an orange shoulder patch and bright orange spots on the black tail.  Female Baltimore Orioles and olive above and yellow below with white on the wings.  The name of this bright bird comes from its color pattern that matches  the orange and black on the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore. The American League baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles, also sport the same color scheme as the bird. 

Immature male Bullock's Oriole (Icterus bullockii).
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 

The American west has even more species of orioles.  The western counterpart of the Baltimore Oriole is the Bullock’s Oriole (Icterus bullockii).  The male Bullock’s Oriole looks similar to male Baltimore Oriole.   Bullock’s have a large white patch on the wings and more orange on the head than the Baltimore.  Female and immature Bullock's Orioles are yellow rather than orange and lack the black of the adult males.  Bullock’s Oriole and Baltimore Oriole were once considered to be the same species and were named the Northern Oriole. This lumping of the two species came about because they can produce fertile hybrids where their ranges overlap on the plains of North America.  Further analysis of the genetics and distribution of the hybrids indicates Bullock’s and Baltimore Orioles are different species.  We have seen Bullock’s Orioles throughout the American west in spring and summer on their breeding grounds and in Mexico in winter.  Sometimes a Bullock’s Oriole will take a wrong turn on migration and end up in the eastern United States.  One of these wrong-way Bullock’s spent a winter visiting a feeder in a Charlotte, North Carolina suburb.  This bird attracted many people, including us, anxious to see this rarity. 

Male Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus).
Crooked Tree Wildlife Refuge, Belize.

Male Hooded Oriole.
Portal, Arizona.

The Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) is widely distributed in the west, ranging from California to Texas, south through Mexico and into Belize. Many of the Hooded Orioles in the United States migrate to Mexico for the winter.  Male Hooded Orioles are orange or bright yellow with a black back, tail, throat and black wings with white wing bars.  Females are yellow with dark gray wings.   We have encountered Hooded Orioles in Arizona, Texas, Mexico and Belize.  The Male Hooded Orioles we saw in Texas and Belize were brilliant orange while those in southeast Arizona were bright yellow.  

 

Audubon's Oriole (Icterus graduacauda).
McMullen County, Texas. 

South Texas is THE place in the United States to see Audubon’s Orioles (Icterus graduacauda) and Altamira Orioles (Icterus gularis).  The northern end of their ranges are in Texas and they go south to Mexico, and for the Altamira into Central America.  Both male and female Audubon’s Orioles are yellow with a black head, wings and tail.  They are a shy species and skulk in thick brush. We got brief glimpses of Audubon’s Orioles in several locations in south Texas.   

Altamira Oriole (Icterus gularis).
Salineno Wildlife Preserve, Texas.

Altamira Oriole with nest.
Crooked Tree Wildlife Preserve, Belize.

Altamira Orioles are the largest of the New World Orioles.  They have dazzling orange heads and bodies with black tails, backs, throats and a black mask.  The wings are black with white wing bars and orange epaulets.  Males and females have a similar color pattern.  We saw Altamira Orioles in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and in Belize we saw them building a magnificent hanging nest.  

Male Black-cowled Oriole (Icterus prosthemelas).
La Milpa Field Station, Belize.

The Black-cowled Oriole (Icterus prosthemelas) is a tropical species found from southern Mexico to Panama.  This handsome bird is much blacker than most of the other orioles. The males have black heads and breasts, black wings and black tails. Their rumps, bellies and shoulders are bright yellow.   In the northern part of the range females have more yellow on the crown of the head and neck but in the south males and females look similar.  We found Black-cowled Orioles in Belize and Costa Rica.  

Yellow-tailed Oriole (Icterus mesomelas) carrying nest material.
Ammo Dump Ponds, Panama Canal, Panama. 

Another beautiful tropical species is the Yellow-tailed Oriole (Icterus mesomelas).  This stunning black and yellow oriole is widespread from southern Mexico through Central America and into northern South America.  It has a yellow head, breast and belly with a black throat and mask, black wings with yellow wing bars and a tail that is black on the top and yellow beneath.  We have seen Yellow-tailed Orioles in Belize and Panama. 

Male Baltimore Oriole.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

We have gotten to know all 8 of the regularly occurring orioles in the United States and 15 of the 32 New World Orioles. This winter a gorgeous adult male Baltimore Oriole appeared in our yard, and he has stayed with us for over a month.  What was the secret to finally getting an oriole to visit?  Was it the orange oriole feeders, the grape jelly, the orange slices?  None of these. We have never seen this bird on any of the standard oriole attractors.  It has been a cold winter, and we think the harsh weather sent this bird to our yard.  Our Baltimore Oriole eats suet and sunflower seeds.  He has studiously avoided the feeders we were sure would bring him to the yard.  As far as winter orioles go, I think you just need to be lucky.