An
unassuming bird with a lovely, melancholy song, the Hermit Thrush
lurks in the understories of far northern forests in summer and
is a frequent winter companion across much of the country. It forages
on the forest floor by rummaging through leaf litter or seizing
insects with its bill. The Hermit Thrush has a rich brown upper
body and smudged spots on the breast, with a reddish tail that sets
it apart from similar species in its genus.
At a Glance
Habitat
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Food
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Nesting
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Behavior
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Conservation
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Open Woodland
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Insects
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Ground
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Ground Forager
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Least Concern
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Measurements
Both Sexes
Length
5.57.1
in
1418
cm
Wingspan
9.811.4
in
2529
cm
Weight
0.81.3
oz
2337
g
Relative Size
Smaller
than an American Robin, larger
than a Song Sparrow
Other Names
Grive
solitaire (French)
Zorzalito
colirrufo (Spanish)
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Cool Facts
- Males usually gather food for the nest, while females
feed the nestlings. The young birds start by eating bits
of larvae, then grasshoppers, moths, and spiders. One Hermit
Thrush has been seen trying to give a nestling a salamander
more than 1.5 inches long.
- Hermit Thrushes usually make their nests in and around
trees and shrubs, but they can also get more creative. Nests
have been found on a cemetery grave, on a golf course, and
in a mine shaft.
- Hermit Thrushes sometimes forage by foot quivering,
where they shake bits of grass with their feet to get insects.
They also typically begin to quiver their feet as they relax
after seeing a flying predator. Some scientists think the
quivering happens as the bird responds to conflicting impulses
to resume foraging or continue taking cover.
- East of the Rocky Mountains the Hermit Thrush usually
nests on the ground. In the West, it is more likely to nest
in trees.
- Hermit Thrushes make several distinct calls around
their nests. They will sometimes make a rising byob sound
similar to a canary call or mewing kitten. Females frequently
rearrange their eggs while making quit quit noises. In the
morning, two adults meeting near the nest will greet each
other with a pweet pweet call.
- Hermit Thrushes are part of a genus (Catharus) that
includes four other similar thrushes in North America: the
Veery, Swainson's Thrush, Gray-cheeked Thrush, and Bicknell's
Thrush. In the northeastern mountains, the Veery lives at
the lowest elevations, Hermit Thrushes at middle elevations,
and Swainson's Thrushes at high elevations.
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Hermit Thrushes live in a wide variety of habitats, ranging
from boreal forests of the far north to deciduous woods and
mountain forests. Look for them in open areas inside forests,
such as trails, pond edges, mountain glades, or areas partially
opened up by fallen trees. In winter, Hermit Thrushes often
occupy lower-elevation forests with dense understory and berry
bushes, including pine, broadleaf evergreen, and deciduous
woods. In Mexico, they have been seen around streams and urban
lawns.
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In spring, the Hermit Thrush eats mainly insects such
as beetles, caterpillars, bees, ants, wasps, and flies. They
also occasionally eat small amphibians and reptiles. In the
winter, they change their diet to eat more fruit, including
wild berries.
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Nesting Facts
Clutch Size
36
eggs
Number of Broods
1-2
broods
Egg Length
0.81
in
22.5
cm
Egg Width
0.60.7
in
1.51.8
cm
Incubation Period
1113
days
Nestling Period
1015
days
Egg Description
Light
blue, sometimes spotted with
brown
Condition at Hatching
Helpless,
with just a few tufts of
dark gray down. Eyes closed.
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Nesting
Nest Description
The female builds the nest from grass, leaves, pine
needles, and bits of wood, with mud and lichen around the
outside. She lines the nest with finer plant materials and
willow catkins. The finished nest is 46 inches across,
and the cup is 23 inches wide and 12 inches deep.
The female takes 710 days to build the nest.
Hermit Thrushes nest on the ground or low in vegetation,
often beneath small conifer trees or shrubs. Open spaces near
berry and fern thickets, pasture edges, and forest roads are
common sites. Birds east of the Rocky Mountains typically
nest on the ground, while those to the west tend to nest off
the ground in shrubs or tree branches. These higher nests
are usually at or below eye level but can be up to 20 feet
high.
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Hermit Thrush Nest
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Hermit Thrush Eggs
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Hermit Thrushes forage on the forest floor and will often
hop and then stay still, peering at the ground. They sometimes
pick up leaf litter with their bills or shake grass with their
feet to find insects. When theyre about to fly, they
flick their wings or tails. The Hermit Thrush may respond
to predators by crouching and pulling back its head. During
courtship, the male chases the female in circles, then the
pair adopts a slower flying pattern after one or two days.
In winter, look for Hermit Thrushes foraging with small forest
songbirds such as kinglets, chickadees, titmice, and Brown
Creepers.
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Conservation
status via IUCN
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Least Concern
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Hermit Thrush populations have generally been rising since
1966 according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey.
Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population
of 40 million with 66 percent spending part of the year in
the U.S, 75 percent in Canada, and 33 percent wintering in
Mexico. They rate a 6 out of 20 on the Continental Concern
Score and are not on the 2012 Watch List. Like almost all
migrant songbirds, Hermit Thrushes migrate at night and can
be drawn toward transmission towers and skyscrapers, where
they die in collisions. Although forest fires are a natural
part of many forest ecosystems, they typically result in Hermit
Thrushes moving elsewhere for several years while the forest
regenerates.
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