WESTERN BIRDS Thrush 



backed Thrush, which breeds from Alaska to southern 

 California (San Diego County), wintering in South 

 America. 



It is about seven and one-half inches long, the upper 

 parts being a rather uniform olive-brown, with buff eye- 

 ring; the throat and chest are buffy, marked with brown 

 triangular spots, which are smallest on the throat; rest 

 of under parts white, with sides olive brown. 



The eastern representative of this bird is the Olive- 

 backed, which is also found breeding in some places in 

 the west, notably the northern mountain districts and 

 eastern Washington. It differs from ustulata in being 

 grayer with a more olive cast, ground color of under 

 parts a lighter buff, and sides grayer. The ordinary 

 observer would see little difference in the two birds, and 

 it is well for them that, for the most part, their range is 

 so widely separated. 



These attractive birds appear in my yard in Los 

 Angeles early in April and usually one or two of them 

 stay about for a week, or more. One year two of them 

 stayed about for two weeks, singing a good deal of the 

 time until I began to hope that they would decide to 

 nest in some of the shrubbery. However, so far they 

 have passed me by and gone to the near-by arroyo to 

 raise their young. 



They are certainly charming birds, not at all shy as 

 they run about on the lawn and under the trees in their 

 quick way, suddenly stopping and with a jerk of the 

 tail and quick quiver of the wings, watching you out 

 of their big, brown eyes, until you pronounce them almost 

 human. Whit, whit, they call in a mellow whistle which 

 is sometimes loud and clear, and again a mere shadow 

 of a sound. If you whistle, they will answer back and 

 come quite close in an effort to find the performer. I 

 have often called one of these Thrushes to me in the 

 canyons, he flying back and forth very close in an effort 



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