Western North America. The Varied Thrush breeds from Northern California north to the extent of the boreal forests in Alaska and the Yukon Territory. They range east into Idaho and western Montana and Alberta (Finley, 1936). Varied Thrushes are known to overwinter as far south as Southern California. These birds occasionally stray to eastern North America and have been recorded in every Canadian Province except Newfoundland and in every U.S. state except Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina and Hawaii (George, 2000).

There may be four distinct subspecies of Varied Thrushes:

Ixoreus naevius naevius, a subspecies that breeds in southeast Alaska and along the coastline south to northern California,

Ixoreus naevius meruloides, a subspecies that breeds from interior Alaska south through interior British Columbia and into northwestern Montana, northern Idaho, eastern Washington and northeastern Oregon,

Ixoreus naevius carlottae, a subspecies that breeds on Queen Charlotte Island, British Columbia and

Ixoreus naevius godfreii, a subspecies that breeds from southern interior British Columbia to eastern Washington and western Montana (George, 2000).

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Breeding

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: BREEDING: northern and western Alaska south through western Canada, northwestern Montana, northern Idaho, Washington, and most of Oregon to extreme northwestern California. NON-BREEDING: southern Alaska, southern British Columbia and northern Idaho south through Washington, Oregon, and California to northern Baja Calif. Wanders widely in central and northeastern North America (AOU 1983).

Length 19.0-26.5 cm; Body mass 65-100grams

Male: Characteristics of male Varied Thrushes are a slate blue back and nape, an orange face, eyebrow, and breast with a black eye stripe and black necklace or breast band. Wings; Coverts are slate-grey with two orange bars. Secondaries are slate-grey and tipped with orange. Primaries are slate-grey and dappled with orange (Finley, 1936).

Female: Resembles the male but much more dull and with brownish-olive coloration replacing the slate-grey of the male (Finley, 1936).

Juvenile: Like the female but with a whitish belly (Finley, 1936).

There are four listed subspecies for the Varied Thrush based solely on plumage differences in the females (in George, 2000).

1. Ixoreus naevius naevius (Gmelin, 1789). The females are a deeper brown with fewer white (light) markings and shorter, more rounded wings than I.n. meruloides.
2. Ixoreus naevius meruloides (Swainson, 1832). The females are grayer and more pale than the nominate subspecies.
3. Ixoreus naevius carlottae (Phillips, 1991). The females are reddish dorsally.
4. Ixoreus naevius godfreii (Phillips, 1991). The females are darker dorsally than I.n. meruloides and more reddish in fresh plumage and paler on the back and rump than I.n. naevius.

Range mass: 65 to 100 g.

Length: 24 cm

Weight: 78 grams

• Terrestrial

Varied Thrushes are most commonly found in dense, moist woodlands and low coniferous old growth forests. In California, Varied Thrushes prefer the forests of coastal redwoods, Sitka spruce and red alder; in Oregon and Washington they prefer wet coastal forests of Sitka spruce, western hemlock and western red cedar and wet montane forests with Douglas fir, western hemlock and western red cedar; in northwestern Montana they prefer forests of western larch and Douglas fir; in coastal British Columbia they prefer forests of Douglas fir, western hemlock, western red cedar and Sitka spruce; in interior British Columbia they prefer montane coniferous and taiga forests; and in Alaska they prefer wet coastal and taiga forests (George, 2000).

Terrestrial Biomes: taiga ; forest ; mountains

Comments: Humid coastal and interior montane coniferous forest, deciduous forest with dense understory, and tall shrubs (especially alder); in migration and winter also open woodland and chaparral (AOU 1983). BREEDING: Usually nests in a small conifer, sometimes a deciduous tree, 3-4.5 m above ground.

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Breeding populations north of contiguous U.S. generally are long-distance migrants; coastal populations of northwestern U.S. and southwestern Canada apparently locally migratory.

During migration they eat fruits, berries and acorns. During the summer they eat arthropods, fruits and berries (George, 2000). During the winter, Varied Thrushes eat arthropods, fruits and acorns and can be lured to backyard feeding stations and are fond of apples (Finley, 1936 and George, 2000). Wells et al. (1996) suggest that the population cycling of the Varied Thrush is tied to the fruiting cycle of oak trees in the thrush's habitat.

Comments: Feeds in trees or forages on the ground for insects, earthworms, seeds, and berries.

Average lifespan

Status: wild: 67 months.

Varied Thrushes are difficult to study because of their retiring behavior, love of dark, wet forests and low population densities. The males usually choose territories that serve both for breeding and feeding in wet, mature forests. The males establish individual territories by singing. During the breeding season, a male Varied Thrush will chase rival males away from its territory (George, 2000).

 Female Varied Thrushes build their nests in low bushes on or near a stream bank (Finley, 1936). Active nests are often found near old nests in the understory. The nests are three layered with a course outer layer of twigs, leaves, lichen and bark, a dense middle layer of rotten wood and moss or sometimes with mud and wet grass, and a fine inner layer of soft grasses, dead leaves and moss (George, 2000). The eggs are greenish-blue with sparse dark umber-brown spots (Finley, 1936). Along the coast, females tend to lay an average of 3 eggs with a range of 1 to 5, while the interior subspecies lay an average of 4 eggs with a range of 2-6. They may raise two broods a year and the hatchlings are altricial. Varied Thrushes are monogamous and both parents help feed the young (George, 2000).

Average time to hatching: 14 days.

Average eggs per season: 3.

Clutch size 2-5 (usually 3-4). Incubation about 14 days. Nestlings altricial.

Varied Thrushes are currently neither endangered nor threatened in any portion of their range. Due to the fact that Varied Thrushes live in western old growth forests, deforestation and clear cutting pose potential threats to some population of Varied Thrushes. Flying into windows is a major anthropocentric cause of mortality (George, 2000).

Wells, et al. (1996) found that Varied Thrush populations undergo 2-3 year cycles of abundance and decline in most of the normal winter ranges.

US Migratory Bird Act: protected

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5B - Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Varied Thrushes may eat orchard fruit (Finley, 1936)

Comments: Sometimes known as Zoothera naevia.