Scientific Name:
Hylochichla mustelina
Nest Type: Cup
Nest Location: Deciduous
or coniferous trees; 6-50'
Clutch Size: 2-4
Food: Insects, fruit
Foraging Guild:
Ground and foliage gleaner
The breeding range of the
Wood Thrush extends from southeastern South Dakota and northern Michigan
east to southeastern Canada, and south to the Gulf Coast and northern
Florida (Farrand 1983). The species reaches the northwest limit of its
range in Minnesota. It is numerous along the Mississippi River and its
tributaries, and locally from the maple-basswood forests of central
and northcentral regions of the state, to the hardwood forests in Cook
County (Janssen 1987). The Wood Thrush is a long distance migrant that
winters from eastern Mexico to northwestern Columbia (Rappole et al
1983). In Minnesota, the species arrives in late April to late May,
and leaves during mid-August, with most individuals gone by mid-September
(Janssen 1987).
The Wood Thrush breeds
primarily in mesic deciduous forest (Roberts 1932). It is also found
in mixed forests with a well-developed understory and on occasion, in
urban habitats (Brewer et al. 1991). In Minnesota, the Wood Thrush is
more common in moderately aged (15-40 yr old) deciduous forests, but
also has been observed in mixed habitats such as fir-spruce-birch forest
type (Hanowski and Niemi 1991a, 1991b). Thus, the species was classified
as a hardwood and mature forest dependent species.
The species nests 2 to
15 m from the ground and clutch size ranges from three to four eggs,
occasionally two (Harrison 1975). The Wood Thrush is an omnivorous ground
forager whose diet consists mainly of beetles, spiders, orthoptera,
lepidoptera and fruit (Brewer et al. 1991).
Breeding Bird Survey data
from 1965 to 1979 showed that Wood Thrush populations had an overall
increase in the eastern U.S. where the species is extending its range,
and a local increase in portions of the spruce-hardwood Forest area
(which includes northeastern Minnesota) (Robbins et al. 1986). However,
no trends were noticeable in the data analyzed from 1966 to 1989 in
Minnesota, which suggests a stable population (Janssen 1990). The Wood
Thrush is a common Brown-headed Cowbird host in many areas. Increased
forest fragmentation and the subsequent increase in cowbirds and predators
may be detrimental to this species (Brittingham and Temple 1983).
