This YouTube video was produced by the American Bird Conservancy.
The elusive Bicknell’s Thrush (Catharus bicknelli) was once considered an isolated population of the Gray-cheeked Thrush. Then, in 1995, ornithologists decided that differences in plumage, size, song, and range warranted splitting the two into distinct species. Distinguishing the two is no easy task — they’re best identified by their songs, but the shy and furtive Bicknell’s Thrush is not always very vocal. Unlike other, more colorful and common thrushes such as the Mountain Bluebird and American Robin, the Bicknell’s Thrush is seldom seen. It’s most often glimpsed on its remote nesting grounds.
The Bicknell’s Thrush is discerning when it comes to nesting, needing trees of a specific species within a certain age range throughout much of its breeding range. As a habitat specialist that requires specific forest conditions, this thrush recalls the Kirtland’s Warbler, a bird that has been rebounding thanks to conservation on working lands that ensure large areas of young pine forest remain for this bird. A similar marriage between carefully orchestrated forestry practices and conservation would likely benefit the Bicknell’s Thrush, particularly in Canada’s Maritime Provinces.
Learn more about the Bicknell’s Thrush: https://abcbirds.org/birds/bicknells-thrush/
American Bird Conservancy stands up for birds across the Americas. We halt bird extinctions, conserve vital habitats, eliminate key threats, and build the capacity of our partners.
American Bird Conservancy
