Bicknell's thrush is a medium-sized thrush, at 17.5 cm (6.9 in) and 28 g (0.99 oz). One of North America's rarest and most localized songbirds, it breeds on coniferous mountain tops and disturbed habitats of northeastern North America. While very similar in appearance and vocalization to the gray-cheeked thrush, the two species, with two completely different breeding ranges, differ slightly in their morphology and vocalizations. It was named after Eugene Bicknell, an American amateur ornithologist, who made the first scientific discovery of the species on Slide Mountain in the Catskills in the late 19th century. John Burroughs, in his essay, "The Heart of the Southern Catskills" (1886), writes effusively about the voice of Bicknell's thrush heard near the summit on his climbs of Slide Mountain, and how on his stays on Slide saw them nowhere else but "about the summit", and saw no other thrush but Bicknell's.
Region
Northeastern North America (breeding) and the Greater Antilles (wintering)
Typical Environment
Breeds patchily in high-elevation conifer forests of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, including the Adirondacks, Green and White Mountains, Maine’s highlands, southern Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Prefers dense, wind-stunted balsam fir–spruce krummholz and also uses disturbed or regenerating conifer stands. During migration it travels along the Atlantic seaboard and through the Caribbean. Winters primarily on Hispaniola, occupying moist montane broadleaf and pine forests with dense understory.
Altitude Range
600–2200 m
Climate Zone
Other
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
One of North America’s rarest songbirds, Bicknell’s thrush breeds almost exclusively in high-elevation spruce–fir forests and regenerating conifer stands. It winters mainly on Hispaniola, making a long overwater migration each year. The species is notoriously difficult to distinguish from the gray-cheeked thrush, differing subtly in structure, tail tone, and voice. Its breeding system is unusual among songbirds, with multiple males often helping feed a single nest.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats in low, direct flights; strong and direct on migration
Social Behavior
On the breeding grounds it is territorial but exhibits a polygynandrous system in which multiple males may feed at a single nest. Nests are placed low to mid-height in dense conifers, often well concealed. Pairs (and helper males) feed nestlings with frequent trips and defend the immediate nest area. Outside breeding, birds are generally solitary or in loose, inconspicuous groups.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Song is a thin, ethereal, upward-spiraling series of slurred notes, often accelerating and rising before ending. Calls include a sharp, nasal veer and soft chips from dense cover.
