Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)

County List:

Rule:

Forested or Mixed Forested/Nonforested Landscapes

      (Any Upland Conifer (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Any Upland Mixed (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
   containing:
      Mast
   adjacent to:
      Edge

Habitat List:

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Literature:

Habitat: Compared with other small thrushes, breeding hermits use a broad spectrum of forested and edge habitats and unlike Veeries, seem to prefer drier woods with at least some conifers. Nesting habitat ranges from all types of woodland and edges to disturbed habitats, sparsely wooded plains and bogs.

The Atlas Habitat Survey found Hermit Thrushes in Michigan to be proportionately more common in dry coniferous forest, including pine plantations, and in mesic mixed forests, either northern hardwoods or spruce-poplar. The species was much less common in wet forests, although some observations were made in virtually every forest and shrub habitat type sampled by the survey.

In the Appalachians, Noon found the greatest concentrations of Hermit Thrushes in mid-successional forests with extensive canopy cover. The abundance of dead trees, used as singing perches, was another important determinant of Hermit Thrush preference.

Hermit Thrushes build a substantial cup nest on the ground or low in a tree using various plant materials. Hermit Thrushes forage for arthropods and, occasionally, salamanders on or near the ground but rely more on fruits during the fall and winter.

Habitat: Breeding: Lowlands in wooded swamps and damp forests and uplands in dry, brushy clearings in coniferous or mixed forests. Also frequents woodland edges and brushy pastures and cool north-facing slopes. Wintering: Borders of wooded swamps where birds find shelter in thick hummocks. Areas with persistent fruits on shrubs or vines or well-stocked feeding stations.

Special Habitat Requirements: Coniferous or mixed woodlands with dense young undergrowth. In winter, birds require native fruits.

Habitat: Conifer or mixed woods, forest floor in winter, woods, thickets, parks. Breeding habitats vary in different regions; included are spruce woods, sphagnum bogs, dry pine woods, second growth in burns with standing dead trees, thickly wooded canyons, mountain forests of spruce and fir. In migration and winter found in any kind of woodland.

Diet: Mostly insects and berries. Feeds on a variety of insects, including beetles, ants, caterpillars, true bugs, grasshoppers, crickets; also spiders, earthworms, rarely small salamanders. Also eats many berries, especially in winter; diet includes elderberries, pokeberries, serviceberries, grapes, mistletoe berries, many others.

Nest: Site for nest varies with region. To the east and north often on the ground, in a natural hollow on the side of a hummock and well hidden by overhanging branches or surrounding low vegetation. To the west, usually in a tree, especially a conifer, 3-12 feet above the ground. Nest is a bulky, well-made open cup of moss, weeds, twigs, bark strips, ferns, lined with softer materials such as pine needles, rootlets, and plant fibers.