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Varied Thrush

Ixoreus naeviusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Thrushes (Turdidae)
Codes: Common Name: VATH Scientific Name: IXONAE ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179773
Least Concern
 
Varied Thrush
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Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

Overview

Varied Thrush: Large thrush, dark gray upperparts, rust-brown throat, breast, sides, eyebrows, black breast band, and white belly and undertail. Wings are dark gray with two rust-brown bars. Tail is dark gray with white corners. Legs and feet are brown. Direct, swift flight on rapidly beating wings.


Range and Habitat

Varied Thrush: Breeds from Alaska and Yukon south to Oregon, California, Idaho, and Montana. Spends winters from coastal Alaska southward. Preferred habitats include dense coniferous or deciduous forests with abundant water.

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Topo Map: Perching-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"took"

Interesting Facts

 The Varied Thrush defends and maintains small feeding territories around bird feeders. They are aggressive and dominate many other feeder bird species.

 There is an extremely rare variant of this species in which all the orange in the plumage is replaced by white.

 The best clue to this bird's presence is usually its song, which often seems to emanate from the forest itself, and is generally unhelpful to observers wishing to locate the singer.

 A group of thrushes are collectively known as a "hermitage" and a "mutation" of thrushes.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Yury Lisyak

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Range Map for Varied Thrush

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Family Thrush (Turdidae)_blue
Species Ixoreus naevius
Length9.5 Inches
Wingspan15 Inches

Varied Thrush

Varied Thrush: Large thrush, dark gray upperparts, rust-brown throat, breast, sides, eyebrows, black breast band, and white belly and undertail. Wings are dark gray with two rust-brown bars. Tail is dark gray with white corners. Legs and feet are brown. Direct, swift flight on rapidly beating wings.

● Song: "took"

● Foraging & Feeding: Varied Thrush: Eats fruits, berries, and insects; forages on the ground, in trees, and in shrubs.

● Breeding & nesting: Varied Thrush: Two to five pale blue eggs with brown flecks are laid in a moss-lined twig cup built in a small tree, sapling, or bush. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Varied Thrush: American Robin lacks dark breast band and rust-brown eyestripes and wing-bars.

Flight Pattern

Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.
Varied-Thrush Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Varied Thrush: Breeds from Alaska and Yukon south to Oregon, California, Idaho, and Montana. Spends winters from coastal Alaska southward. Preferred habitats include dense coniferous or deciduous forests with abundant water.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationCommon to fairly common
MigrationMigratory
Weight2.7 Ounces
Perching-like BodyX
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
BellyX
The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.
BreastX
The upper front part of a bird.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX