Bicknell's Thrush

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.

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.
Their restricted mountain-top breeding range and loss of habitat in their Caribbean wintering grounds have made it a species of conservation concern.
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.
A group of thrushes are collectively known as a "hermitage" and a "mutation" of thrushes.

The Bicknell's Thrush is currently rated as Vulnerable. This rating has been given due to the continued decrease in the population and habitat of this bird as a result of logging and agricultural conversion. Bicknell's Thrush is native to the Dominican Republic, the United States, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and Canada. It is known to breed in the southeastern Quebec area along with portions of New England in the United States. The current population of Bicknell's Thrush is estimated to be around 50,000, with the largest populations in the Dominican Republic.