Recently there has been a new little bird that has been hanging around here. It’s an adorable little hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus), and I suspect it’s on the way back up north to its breeding grounds. This is probably just a short rest along the way, but it is welcome for as long as it chooses to stay. When it first showed up, I thought perhaps it was another oven bird since it had grossly similar markings and it stayed mainly in the underbrush. But as it got braver, it became apparent that its coloration was different; especially the pretty red tail. Since it arrived about a week ago it has gotten brave enough to come out and grab a few mealworms and allow me to get some photos.

Hermit thrushes are (not surprisingly) members of the thrush family which includes robins, red winged blackbirds, bluebirds, and veeries as well as thrushes. Interestingly, the oven bird is a member of the warbler family, not the thrushes. Hermit thrushes usually nest in the northern United States, Canada, and Alaska. They are migratory birds that winter in the southern United States, Mexico, and occasionally Central America. They tend to be found in wooded areas and like to forage for food on the ground, in the underbrush. During the breeding season they eat mainly insects, but will sometimes eat small reptiles and amphibians, worms, and snails. After the breeding season they tend to eat more berries and fruit, especially as insects become sparse during the winter. Their populations have been fairly stable for quite some time, and they are considered a species of least concern. I don’t know how long this little bird will decide to stay, but I will enjoy watching it while it’s here.