Wood thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
35.9132, -79.0558
Field Notes
Description:
The wood thrush has been reported to have one of the most beautiful songs of North American birds. The male has a unique song that has three parts. The first sub-song component is often inaudible unless the listener is close, and consists of two to six short, low-pitched notes such as bup, bup, bup. The middle part is a loud phrase often written ee-oh-lay, and the third part is a ventriloquial, trill-like phrase of non-harmonic pairs of notes given rapidly and simultaneously.
Habitat:
Wooded area
Notes:
It was the song of this bird that got my attention. It was singing beautifully but mostly hidden in foliage. By concentrating on the song, I finally saw it when it emerged briefly to sit on this branch. The American Bird Conservancy has noted that the population of this bird has fallen 62% since the 1960s and it now faces threats to its habitat both in Eastern North America (breeding grounds) and Mexico and Central America, where it overwinters. See: http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130815a.html
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