The Hermit
Thrush -Catharus guttatus - is a medium-sized thrush in North America. They live in a wide variety of habitats,
ranging from boreal forests of the far north to deciduous woods and mountain
forests and often occupy lower-elevation forests with dense understory and
berry bushes. It is the state bird of Vermont.
Description
The Hermit Thrush
is rich brown on the head and back, with a distinctly warm, reddish tail. The
underparts are pale with distinct spots on the throat and smudged spots on the
breast. With a close look you may see a thin pale eye ring. They have pink legs.
Birds in the east are more olive-brown on the upperparts; western birds are
more grey-brown.
Call
The Hermit
Thrush's most frequently heard call is a low-pitched tchup or quoit to signal attack or
escape and a Cedar Waxwing-like eeee
when in danger. Adults may tell their young to stay still with a two-syllable chuck and lisp. They often sing from a
high open location. A lovely, melancholy song, which is ethereal and
flute-like, consisting of a beginning note, then several descending musical
phrases in a minor key, repeated at different pitches.
Food
They forage on
the forest floor, also in trees or shrubs. 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.
Breeding
Hermit Thrushes
nest on the ground or low in vegetation the female builds the nest and lays 3
to 6 light blue eggs. The eggs are incubated for 11 to 13 days and the young
fledge 10 to 15 days later. One or two broods a season.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
The populations
have generally been rising over the last half-century. Like almost all migrant
songbirds, they migrate at night and can be drawn toward transmission towers
and skyscrapers, where they die in collisions.
Birdwatching
Look for them in
forest understories, especially around edges or openings.
Vermont Hotspots
Malletts Bay
State Park
Sand Bar Wildlife
Management Area
Ed Weed Fish
Culture Station
Arrowhead
Mountain Lake
Fairfield Swamp
Wildlife Management Area
Lake Carmi State
Park
Missisquoi
National Wildlife Refuge
Shad Island and
Bird's Foot Delta
Eleanor Ellis
Spring Nature Area
North Springfield
Bog
Weathersfield
Heron Rookery
Missisquoi
National Wildlife Refuge
Silvio Conte
National Wildlife Refuge
Shaw Mountain
Natural Area
Eshqua Bog
Natural Area
Barr Hill Natural
Area
Sugar Hollow
Natural Area