Image Courtesy Powder Mill Bird Banding

Range Map

Description: The Hermit Thrush, widely regarded as nature’s finest songster, measures about seven inches in length. It is brown above and white below with soft black spots on its throat and breast. Its tail is more reddish-brown. It has long pink legs and a faint white eye ring. Males and females are similar. It is the only member of the thrush family that winters in the United States.

Diet: The Hermit Thrush forages on the forest floor for insects. In the winter, it eats both insects and berries. It may even come to feeders.

Range: The wide-ranging Hermit Thrush breeds from western Alaska south throughout the mountainous regions of the west, northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, and throughout New England and the Appalachian Mountain regions of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia. The Hermit Thrush may be found throughout the continental United States during migration and in the winter. It winters as far south as central America.

Habitat: The ground-dwelling Hermit Thrush prefers dense coniferous or mixed forests, hence the name “Hermit”

Nesting: Females lay 2-5 eggs and incubate them for about two weeks. Nests are usually on the ground or in a small tree. The Hermit Thrush is more likely to nest in trees in the western portion of their range.

Status: The Hermit Thrush is common.

Hermit Thrush Video

Hermit Thrush Song