122 THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 
OREGON BIRDS 
_ Believing that a knowledge of the birds of Oregon — both the song and game 
varieties — will be valuable to the readers of The Sportsman, we have arranged this 
department, which will be a permanent feature. In this issue Assistant Biologist R. 
Bruce Horsfal discusses 
THE THRUSH FAMILY 
The Thrush family in Oregon 
is represented by eight species— 
the Robin, Varied Thrush, Alas- 
ka Hermit and Dwarf Hermit, 
Western Bluebird, Mountain 
Bluebird, Bluebird, Russet- 
backed Thrush and Townsend 
Solitaire. 
They are some of our best 
American song birds, preemi- 
nently refined in character com- 
bined with a nervous tempera- 
ment. Their food consists of in- 
sects and berries. 
RUSSET-BACKED THRUSH 
Hylocichla ustulata (Nutt) 
These birds are lovers of the 
dense thickets; retiring and 
shy, building their nests of grass 
and moss in some low fern or 
briar. 
The nests are rather bulky, 
though compact, and are never 
without the moss. The eggs are 
four or five of a pale turquoise 
blue, spotted with rusty brown. The old birds do not roam far from the 
nesting site. After their winter sojourn in Central America they seem 
content to remain in some secluded spot from the time the salmon 
berry blossoms till the berries are gone. 
When you see, during the nesting season in Oregon, a bird about 
six or seven inches long, dressed all in brown above, and having a 
light breast spotted with the same or darker color, motionless but 
watchful, or flitting silently through the underbrush before you, you 
may know that it is the Russet-backed Thrush. Its cousin, the Dwarf 
Hermit Thrush, is nesting higher up in the mountains. One has to be 
well versed in bird lore to distinguish between them in their cover, but 
that can well be left to the ornithologist. 
If you are fortunate enough to discover a nest, the old birds will 
make no great fuss, but remain quietly about or gently scold you with 
their characteristic thrush note, “thut-thut-thut,” as much as to say 
“Please go away; you are intruding.” 
They seem to possess very loving natures. Mr. Finley in his book, 
“American Birds,’ says “Hach time the thrush mother came with 
food for her young I saw her linger at the nest edge. Many bird 
mothers are away as soon as they have fed their young, but the thrush 
never failed to examine her nestlings, and I often saw her sit for 
several minutes at a time looking at her babies and caressing them 
with a real mother’s love.” 

