Swainson's Thrush

The Swainson's Thrush, Catharus ustulatus, is a medium-sized thrush.

Adults are brown on the upperparts. The underparts are white with brown on the flanks; the breast is lighter brown with darker spots. They have pink legs and a light brown eye ring. Birds in the east are more olive-brown on the upperparts; western birds are more reddish-brown.

Their breeding habitat is coniferous woods with dense undergrowth across Canada, Alaska and the northern United States, also deciduous wooded areas on the Pacific coast of North America. They make a cup nest on a horizontal tree branch.

These birds migrate to southern Mexico and as far south as Argentina. Swainson's Thrush is a very rare wanderer to western Europe.

They forage on the forest floor, also in trees. They mainly eat insects, fruits and berries.

This bird's song is a hurried series of flute-like tones spiralling upwards. They may be displaced by the Hermit Thrush where their ranges overlap.

This bird was named after William Swainson, an English ornithologist.