Hermit Thrush
Catharus guttatus
Summary 7
The Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) is a medium-sized North American thrush. It is not very closely related to the other North American migrant species of Catharus, but rather to the Mexican Russet Nightingale-thrush.
Distribution 8
Hermit thrushes (Catharus guttatus) are widely distributed songbirds found in northern hardwood forests and boreal and mountainous coniferous forests throughout North America during the breeding season, and both North America and Central America during the winter. In North America, they breed in the western and northeastern United States into Alaska and much of the southern half of Canada. The winter northern boundary is in the United States from southern Massachusetts moving gradually southwest to the southern parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Arkansas, most of Oklahoma and Texas. Their winter range then encompasses all of the area below this to the Gulf of Mexico and then south through Mexico to Oaxaca. They are found year round in much of New Mexico and in the eastern half of Arizona. Within these broad ranges individuals are short-distance migrants. They do not cross the Gulf of Mexico as other Catharus species do. They are found in lower altitudes, river valleys and coastal areas in these wintering areas.
There are currently 8 recognized subspecies of hermit thrushes divided into 3 geographic groups including 3 subspecies in the Pacific coastal group, 3 subspecies in the northwestern interior mountains group, and 2 subspecies in the eastern group.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); neotropical (Native )
Morphology 9
Hermit thrushes are shorter and stockier than other spotted thrushes, with an average length of 6.75 in (17.2 cm) and wingspan of 11.5 in (29.2 cm). The three main geographic groups have graded characteristics, with a distinct white eye-ring, indistinct whitish bar over the lores, darkly spotted breast and sides of the throat, olive-brown to gray-brown dorsal coloration, white ventral side with buffy to grayish flanks, and varying amount of reddish wash on flight feathers and tail. There is no obvious sexual dimorphism in this thrush species.
Hermit thrushes have reddish coloration on the tail, whereas wood thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) have similar coloration on the head and veery (Catharus fuscescens) have reddish upper parts. Gray-cheeked (Catharus minimus) and Bicknell's (Catharus bicknelli) thrushes also have some reddish coloration, but they only have a thin partial eye-ring and do not have the whitish bar over the lores. Because hermit thrushes are short-distance migrants, their primary flight feathers do not project beyond their secondaries. Other thrushes that migrate over longer distances have longer primary projections, including the Swainson's thrush (Catharus ustulatus) and grey-cheeked thrush (Catharus minimus).
Average length: 17.2 cm.
Average wingspan: 29.2 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Average mass: 27.8 g.
Habitat 10
Hermit thrushes use a wide range of forest vegetation types. Breeding habitat includes young to climax forest vegetation types with internal forest edges. These birds are found in the interior of such forest vegetation types near openings including ponds, meadows, or small man-made clearings.
During winter in the United States, hermit thrushes are usually found at lower elevations than that of their summer habitat. Characteristics of winter habitat include a dense cover of woody plants proximate to insect populations and berry-bearing vegetation. Hermit thrushes need open water in their winter habitat. Information on habitat in Mexico is limited, and no generalizations can be made.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; scrub forest
Migration 11
Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.
Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).
Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.
Long-distance migrant throughout Canada and most of U.S. breeding range.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Jamie Chavez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/20709090@N00/2783288252
- (c) D. Gordon E. Robertson, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Hermit_Thrush_in_winter.jpg
- (c) James Maughn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3946/14948102934_dbaa14bfc8_o.jpg
- (c) Biodiversity Heritage Library, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8004/7135304473_c97ca0ebb0_o.jpg
- (c) Biodiversity Heritage Library, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8384/8572288196_d013c6a224_o.jpg
- (c) BJ Stacey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8218/8293128006_da46b35f56_o.jpg
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharus_guttatus
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31383994
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31383996
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31383995
- (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28917035
