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