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Bicknell's Thrush

Catharus bicknelliOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Thrushes (Turdidae)
Codes: Common Name: BITH Scientific Name: CATBIC ITIS Taxonomic No.: 554148
Vulnerable
 
Bicknell's Thrush Breeding Male
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Overview

Bicknell's Thrush: Small thrush, olive-brown upperparts, buff breast with brown spots, white or buff belly. Eye has faint gray ring. Upper mandible black with pale base, lower mandible yellow with black tip. Tail, rump have rust-brown wash. Swift, direct flight with jerky wing strokes.

Range and Habitat

Bicknell's Thrush: Breeds from southern Quebec and the Maritimes south to northern New England and northern New York. Preferred habitats include alpine areas near tree line.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body


Listen to Call

Similar Sounding

Voice Text

"veer-u, veer-u, veer-u"

Interesting Facts

 The Bicknell’s Thrush is among the least-known breeding birds in North America. They were considered a subspecies of the Gray-cheeked Thrush until 1995.

 This bird was named after Eugene Bicknell, an American amateur ornithologist, who discovered the species on Slide Mountain in the Catskills in the late 19th century.

 Their restricted mountain-top breeding range and loss of habitat in their Caribbean wintering grounds have made it a species of conservation concern.

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


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Samira Belous

Splitbar
Range Map for Bicknell's Thrush

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Family Thrush (Turdidae)_blue
Species Catharus bicknelli
Length6.25 Inches
Wingspan10.5 Inches

Bicknell's Thrush

Bicknell's Thrush: Small thrush, olive-brown upperparts, buff breast with brown spots, white or buff belly. Eye has faint gray ring. Upper mandible black with pale base, lower mandible yellow with black tip. Tail, rump have rust-brown wash. Swift, direct flight with jerky wing strokes.

● Song: "veer-u, veer-u, veer-u"

● Foraging & Feeding: Bicknell's Thrush: Eats insects, spiders, and earthworms; also berries and fruits in fall; forages on the ground and in shrubs.

● Breeding & nesting: Bicknell's Thrush: Three to six green blue to pale blue eggs with faint brown marks are laid in a cup nest made of grass, leaves, bark, mud, and mosses and sometimes lined with a few leaves. Incubation ranges from 13 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Bicknell's Thrush: Gray-cheeked Thrush is larger, with olive-gray upperparts, olive-brown tail, and gray wash on breast, sides, and flanks.

Flight Pattern

Relatively swift direct flight with somewhat jerky wing strokes.
Bicknell's Thrush Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Bicknell's Thrush: Breeds from southern Quebec and the Maritimes south to northern New England and northern New York. Preferred habitats include alpine areas near tree line.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationYes but uncommon
MigrationNeotropical Migrant
Weight1.1 - 1.2 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.
Lower mandibleX
The lower part of the bill.
RumpX
The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.
Upper mandibleX
The upper part of the bill.
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