Thrushes. 



Order, Passeres. 

 Family, Turdidae. 



Family Characteristics: Six to ten inches long, graceful in form 

 and gifted in song. Except the robin redbreast and bluebird, thrushes 

 are brown above with whitish breast marked with arrow-shaped spots. 



Their food consists mostly of earth-worms and insects with a little 

 wild fruit for sauce. Of great service in groves and gardens and upon 

 lawns. 



761. ROBIN REDBREAST. Merula migratoria. Ten inches long.. 

 Everybody knows him. 



766. BLUEBIRD, ^ialia sialis. Length seven inches. Bright 

 blue above. Breast light claret-red. 



755. WOODTHRUSH. Hylocichla mustelina. Eight inches long. 

 Brown above, lightest toward head. White below with arrow-shaped 

 spots on sides of breast. White eye-ring. White throat. A familiar 

 bird. 



756. WILSON'S THRUSH. (Veery). Turdus fuscescens. Seven 

 and one-half inches long. Tawny-brown above, white below with 

 arrow-shaped spots. Buff in front of wings. Common though shy. 

 Has no eye-ring as other thrushes do. 



758a. OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH. Hylocichla ustulata swainsonii. 

 Seven and one-half inches long. Olive-brown above. Yellowish breast, 

 white beneath. Yellowish eye-ring. Throat and breast spotted. 



759. HERMIT THRUSH. Hylocichla guttata. Seven and one- 

 half inches long. Olive-brown above. Brighter toward tail which 

 serves to distinguish it from the wood thrush. Yellow eye-ring whereas 

 wood thrush has white eye-ring. 



674. OVENBIRD or GOLDEN-CROWNED THRUSH. Seiurus 

 aurocapillus. Olive above, crown of old-gold edged by black lines. 

 Breast spotted like the thrushes. White eye-ring. See under warblers. 



