Bicknell's Thrush
Catharus bicknelli
Rare and shy thrush which breeds in stunted spruce forests on mountaintops in remote areas of the Maritime Northeast. Infrequently seen during migration and tends to be more secretive than other thrushes, sticking to denser thickets within forests. Brown above with spotted breast and very faint eyering. Small bill with yellow base. Shows a reddish wash on tail and wings, duller than Hermit Thrush, but difficult to judge without excellent view. Nearly identical to Gray-cheeked Thrush, which lacks reddish wash. Voice very similar to Gray-cheeked. Song is a stuttering series of phrases with a notably wiry tone, overall descending but usually with rising final note. Call a high-pitched, piercing "pzeeer". Both song and call overlap completely with Gray-cheeked. No breeding range overlap with other thrushes, but most birds best left unidentified during migration.
Identification
Bicknell's thrush is just slightly smaller than the other northern migratory Catharus thrushes, with an average length of approximately 17 cm (6.7 in) and a weight ranging generally from 26 to 30g. Both sexes are identical in the field and are roughly the same size, although males average slightly larger in wing length. Adults are olive-brown to brownish on the upperparts (head, nape, back) contrasting with chestnut-tinged tail. The contrast is, however, less evident in worn plumage. The underparts are off-white with gray on the flanks; the breast is off-white with buffy wash, showing dusky spots that becomes more diffuse toward the sides and the lower breast. They have pink legs, a faint grey eye ring, and gray cheeks. Two-thirds of the lower mandible is yellow colored, while the tip of the lower mandible and upper mandible is blackish. They average slightly smaller than the very similar gray-cheeked thrush but are all but indistinguishable in outward appearance. The song is a jumbled series of flute-like tones ending on a higher note.
Taxonomy
A member of the family Turdidae, Bicknell's thrush belongs to the genus Catharus. This genus includes twelve species, five of which are found in North America. The closest relative of the Bicknell's thrush is its sister species, the gray-cheeked thrush. Together, the gray-cheeked and Bicknell's thrush form a cryptic species pair, and were indeed formerly considered conspecific. However, DNA analysis showed a divergence between the two species about 1 million years ago.
- Scientific name
- Catharus bicknelli
- Authority
- (Ridgway, 1882)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Catharus
Range and habitat
Bicknell's thrush scattered breeding range extends from southeastern Quebec to Nova Scotia in Canada and the sky islands of northern New England and the Adirondacks and Catskills in New York. It is the rarest and most secretive of the breeding thrushes in North America, and it is the only bird species whose breeding range is entirely restricted to the northeastern part of the continent. It is a habitat specialist in its breeding range. It is known to favor high altitude coniferous forests affected by strong winds and heavy ice conditions. They usually breed at higher elevations, normally nesting above 915 m (3,002 ft). However, they do not only live in this habitat, they also inhabit successional forests that have recently been affected by the forest industry. Its habitat is therefore best characterized by highly disturbed forest, where trees are small and stunted.<p>Conversely, Bicknell's thrush is more a habitat generalist in migration. The Bicknell's and gray-cheeked thrushes, along with the veery, make up a close-knit group of migrant species. The birds migrate to the Greater Antilles, with an estimated 90% of the individuals wintering in Hispaniola (mostly in the Dominican Republic, but also Haiti). During the winter, they live in broadleaf forests at various elevations but generally preferring higher elevations. Wintering individuals have been recorded from the mountain ranges of the Cordillera Central, Sierra de Baoruco, and Cordillera Septentrional in the Dominican Republic, the Massif de la Hotte in Haiti, the Cordillera Central in Puerto Rico, the Blue Mountains in Jamaica, and the Sierra Maestra in eastern Cuba.
- Breeding range
- NA : ne USA and se Canada
- Non-breeding range
- Hispaniola
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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