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Wild Birds

Vermont State Bird

Vermont state bird: Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus

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Vermont State Bird Description:

Size: 6 to 7 inches (14 - 18 cm)
Wingspan: 10 to 11 inches (25 - 29 cm)
Weight: .81 to 1.31 ounces (23 - 37 g)

The Hermit Thrush is slightly smaller than a robin. It has a brownish back with buff colored underparts. There are dark spots on the chest and thin, white eyerings. It has a rust colored tail that it frequently flicks.

The sexes look alike.

Habitat:

During the breeding season, the Hermit Thrush can be found in the interior of deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forest. It favors the internal forest edges.

In the winter season it can be found in forests and open woodlands.

Range:

The Hermit Thrush spends winters from southern Arizona, southern Missouri and Connecticut southward to the Gulf of Mexico and through Mexico into Central America, also along the Pacific Coast as far north as southern British Columbia.

During the summer breeding season, they can be found throughout Canada as far north as southern Alaska. They can also be found southward to the northeastern states and into the Appalachians, and in the West southward to southern Arizona.

Diet:

The Hermit Thrush feeds on insects and spiders that it finds on the ground while foraging through leaf litter . It also eats berries, fruits and seeds which it picks while hovering.

Nesting:

The Hermit Thrush nests in small trees or shrubs, often near the ground in dense shade. The nest is a bulky cup of grasses, leaves, mosses, twigs, rootlets, hair, mud, and lichens, lined with fine rootlets, fine grasses, hair, moss, bark, and willow catkins.

The clutch normally contains 3 to 4 eggs with an incubation period of about 12 days.

A Few Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Vermont State Bird:

The Hermit Thrush usually nests on the ground, east of the Rocky Mountains. In the West, it is more likely to nest in trees.
The song of the Hermit Thrush is said to be one of the most beautiful of all North American songbirds. If you live in its migratory range you may not hear their beautiful song as they rarely sing during migration.
If you want ground foraging birds, such as the Hermit Thrush, in your yard or garden try using natural mulch such as leaves. Mulch helps keep the soil moist and your plants healthy. It will also attract these birds to your yard or garden to search for food.

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