GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH GALLERY
(Catharus minimus)
eBird offers this description of the Gray-cheeked Thrush: Ethereal song rings through breeding grounds in northern spruce forest; found in thickets and forest understory during migration, when it tends to be shy and hard to find. To distinguish from other Catharus thrushes, note very faint eyering and plain gray face. Small bill with yellow base. Grayer face than Swainson’s Thrush and lacks buffy eyering. Nearly identical to Bicknell’s Thrush, which shows slight reddish wash to plumage. Song is a stuttering series of descending phrases with a notably wiry tone. Call a high-pitched, piercing “pzeeer.” Of all the American spotted thrushes, the Gray-cheeked has the most northern breeding range. Consequently this shy skulker of the underbrush is not well known and is rather infrequently seen.
I saw and photographed this bird on my trip to Sabine Woods. The Gray-cheeked Rush made a brief appearance at the back water feature on April 27, 2020.
“Cool Facts” About the Gray-cheeked Thrush From All About Birds…
- Gray-cheeked and Bicknell’s thrushes were only recently recognized as separate species. Most of the information published in the last century on “Gray-cheeked Thrush” concerned the Bicknell’s Thrush instead of the Gray-cheeked. Although Gray-cheeked Thrush has a much larger range across North America, the Bicknell’s Thrush’s small range is closer to centers of human population, and therefore is the more accessible species.
- The oldest recorded Gray-cheeked Thrush was at least 6 years, 11 months old when it was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Ontario in 2005. It had been banded in Florida in 1999.