
Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feeding on the ground. The smallest thrush may be the forest rock thrush, at 21 g (0.74 oz) and 14.5 cm (5.7 in). However, the shortwings, which have ambiguous alliances with both thrushes and Old World flycatchers, can be even smaller. The lesser shortwing averages 12 cm (4.7 in). The largest thrush is the blue whistling thrush, at 178 g (6.3 oz) and 33 cm (13 in). The great thrush is similar in length, but less heavily built. Most species are grey or brown in colour, often with speckled underparts. They are insectivorous, but most species also eat worms, land snails, and fruit. Many species are permanently resident in warm climates, while others migrate to higher latitudes during summer, often over considerable distances. Thrushes build cup-shaped nests, sometimes lining them with mud. They lay two to five speckled eggs, sometimes laying two or more clutches per year. Both parents help in raising the young.[2] In almost all cases, the nest is placed on a branch; the only exceptions are the three species of bluebird, which nest in holes. Learn more about Thrush
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Thrush Species Videos
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Common Name | Scientific Name | Conservation Status |
Armed Hermit (15 videos) | Pagurus armatus | Not Available |
Australian Golden Whistler (23 videos) | Pachycephala pectoralis | Least concern |
Basian Thrush (74 videos) | Zoothera lunulata | Least concern |
Bloody Hermit (1 videos) | Dardanus sanguinocarpus | Not Available |
Bronzy Hermit (1 videos) | Glaucis aeneus | Least concern |
Eastern Bluebird (49 videos) | Sialia sialis | Least concern |
Eastern Long-tailed Hermit (1 videos) | Phaethornis superciliosus | Least concern |
Ecuadorian Thrush (1 videos) | Turdus maculirostris | Least concern |
Grey Shrikethrush (21 videos) | Colluricincla harmonica | Least concern |
Hairy Hermit (36 videos) | Pagurus hirsutiusculus | Not Available |
Hermit Thrush (13 videos) | Catharus guttatus | Least concern |
Kurrichane Thrush (1 videos) | Turdus libonyana | Least concern |
Land Hermit (12 videos) | Coenobita clypeatus | Not Available |
Louisiana Waterthrush (7 videos) | Parkesia motacilla | Least concern |
Mistle Thrush (2 videos) | Turdus viscivorus | Least concern |
Moorland Chat (4 videos) | Pinarochroa sordida | Least concern |
Mountain Bluebird (4 videos) | Sialia currucoides | Least concern |
Northern Waterthrush (14 videos) | Parkesia noveboracensis | Least concern |
Red-billed Leiothrix (1 videos) | Leiothrix lutea | Least concern |
Rufous Whistler (14 videos) | Pachycephala rufiventris | Least concern |
Sandstone Shrikethrush (6 videos) | Colluricincla woodwardi | Least concern |
Scaly Thrush (0 videos) | Zoothera dauma | Least concern |
Song Thrush (10 videos) | Turdus philomelos | Least concern |
Swainson's Thrush (3 videos) | Catharus ustulatus | Least concern |
Tawny-bellied Hermit (3 videos) | Phaethornis syrmatophorus | Least concern |
Townsend's Solitaire (1 videos) | Myadestes townsendi | Least concern |
Varied Thrush (1 videos) | Ixoreus naevius | Least concern |
Veery (11 videos) | Catharus fuscescens | Least concern |
Western Bluebird (6 videos) | Sialia mexicana | Least concern |
Western Long-tailed Hermit (1 videos) | Phaethornis longirostris | Least concern |
Wood Thrush (19 videos) | Hylocichla mustelina | Least concern |
Yellow-breasted Chat (1 videos) | Icteria virens | Least concern |