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. Sialia 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. 



