| Scientific Name |  Click photo to enlarge. Photo by David McNicholas. |
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| Catharus minimus Lafresnaye - ATBI Database: Specimen Records | |||||
| Common Name | |||||
| Gray-cheeked Thrush | |||||
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | |
| Animalia | Chordata | Aves | Passeriformes | Turdidae | |
| Animals | Chordates | Birds | Perching Birds | Thrushes | |
This species is regularly seen in Tennessee (Tennessee Ornithological Society 2006) and a rare migrant in North Carolina (Pearson et al. 1942). During migration, it is a habitat generalist (Ehrlich et al. 1988), but is still outnumbered by Swainson’s Thrush (Kaufman 2000). The Gray-cheeked Thrush is very similar to Bicknell’s Thrush (C. bicknelli) in appearance and song and the two have only recently been recognized as separate species. In the park, there are no records of Bicknell’s Thrush, but they may possibly migrate through and been overlooked or identified as Gray-cheeked Thrush as the two cannot be safely differentiated in the field. A bird caught twice in a mist net at Tremont in 2002 and apparently spending the summer in the park, could not be identified to species either time.
SPECIES DESCRIPTION
Length: 7 ¼” – 8” (18.4cm – 20.3 cm)(Kaufman 2000 and Farrand 1983).
Physical characteristics: Brown, olive-brown, or olive-gray back, whitish below. The cheeks and flanks are gray. The breast has numerous brown spotting. The spots form two lines extending from the bill, down the throat. Around the eye is grayish, but no distinct eye ring is present.
Voice: The song is a “descending wee-a, wee-o, wee-a, chi-chi-wee”. The call is a “pheu” (Farrand 1983). Listen to the call and view the Spectrograms of Flight Calls from Purchase Knob.
Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter: Gray-cheeked Thrush
Photographs: Click photo to enlarge. Photo by David McNicholas. |
 Click photo to enlarge. National Park Service Photo. |
DISTRIBUTION
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Breeding: Breeds in Alaska and across northern Canada (Farrand 1983). Click on the map on the left to see the breeding range as determined by the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). |
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Winter: Winters in the northwest portions of South America (Ehrlich et al. 1988). Click on the map on the left to see the winter range as determined by the Christmas Bird Count (CBC). |
 Click maps to enlarge. |
In Park: A fairly common migrant (Alsop 2003). This species has been sighted at Sugarlands Visitor Center, Mt. Collins, and at Cosby Campground (Stupka 1963), and can be quite common in the fall at Purchase Knob. An individual never safely differentiated from the closely related Bicknell’s Thrush (Catharus bicknelli), appeared to spend the summer of 2002 in the area around Tremont and was caught twice in mist nets. |
NATURAL HISTORY
Breeding habitat
Breeds in moist woodlands, riparian thickets, and coniferous edges (Ehrlich et al. 1988).
Mating system
Monogamous. During courtship the male flies after the female in a smooth flight, with an erect crest and gaping bill (Ehrlich et al. 1988).
Nest
The nest is built by the female in a shrub close to the ground or up to 10 feet above ground. The nest is cup-shaped and is made of grasses, sedge, bark, stems, sticks, moss, and is lined with fine materials (Ehrlich et al. 1988).
Eggs
The eggs are a pale blue and may be unmarked, or lightly marked with brown spots, 0.9” (23 mm). Typically, three to five eggs are laid in a clutch. Pairs will have only one brood a year at the northern extent of their breeding range, but in the south pairs may have two broods (Ehrlich et al. 1988).
Chick development
The female incubates the eggs for 13-14 days and the young are born altricial. Both parents share responsibilities in tending to the hatchlings, which fledge in 11-13 days (Ehrlich et al. 1988).
Diet
Feeds primarily on insects, but will feed on berries more often in the fall and winter. It feeds by picking insects off the ground (Ehrlich et al. 1988).
Parasites
An undescribed species of feather mite of the genus Pterodectes (Proctophyllodidae) was collected from a bird either of this species or C. bicknelli at Tremont in August of 2002 (Reeves et al. 2007).
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
This species is currently under no special protection. There is little information available on population trends of this species (Elphick et al. 2001). As this species breeds far north of most human settlement, it is not thought to be at risk from breeding ground degradation.
Special Protection Status
Rangewide: None
Region: None
In Park: All plants and animals are protected within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Collection requires a permit, which is usually granted only for research or educational purposes.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Maps
Breeding: Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2005. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 - 2005. Version 6.2.2006. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.
Winter: Sauer, J. R., S. Schwartz, and B. Hoover. 1996. The Christmas Bird Count Home Page. Version 95.1. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.
In Park: Discover Life in America - All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory. 2007. The ATBI Database. http://tremont22.campus.utk.edu/ATBI_start.cfm, Discover Life in America, Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738.
Photographs
Photos by David McNicholas.
Song or Call
Text
Leslie K. Bilbrey and Paul Super, 2007.
Web page
REFERENCES
Alsop, F. J. 1991. Birds of the Smokies. Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association. Gatlinburg, TN.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2003. Available at All About Birds: Gray-cheeked Thrush. Accessed on May 19, 2006.
Ehrlich, P. R., D. S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1988. The Birder’s Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. Simon and Schuster, Inc. New York.
Elphick, C., J. B. Dunning, Jr., and D.A. Sibley, eds. 2001. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
Farrand Jr, J., ed. 1983. The Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding: Volume Three Warblers to Sparrows. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
Kaufman, K. 2000. Birds of North America. Hillstar Editions L. C. New York.
LeGrand, H. E. and Hall, S. P., compilers. 1999. Natural Heritage Program List of the Rare Animals of North Carolina. North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Division of Parks and Recreation, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Raleigh, NC.
Pearson, T. G., C. S. Brimley, and H. H. Brimley. 1942. Birds of North Carolina. Bynum Printing Company, Raleigh, NC.
Reeves, W. K., L. A. Durden, C. M. Ritzi, K. R. Beckham, P. E. Super, and B. M. O’Connor. 2007. Ectoparasites and other ectosymbiotic arthropods of vertebrates in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA. Zootaxa.
Stupka, A. 1963. Notes on the Birds of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, TN.
Tennessee Ornithological Society. 2006. Available at The Official Checklist of the Birds of Tennessee. Accessed on May 19, 2006.
Withers, D. I., K. Condict, and R. McCoy. 2004. A Guide to the Rare Animals of Tennessee. Division of Natural Heritage, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
