Gray-cheeked Thrush
Catharus minimus
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyTurdidae (Thrushes)
- GenusCatharus (Brown Thrushes and Nightingale-Thrushes)
- SpeciesCatharus minimus (Gray-cheeked Thrush)
About the Gray-cheeked Thrush
The gray-cheeked thrush (Catharus minimus) is a medium-sized thrush. This species is 15–17 cm (5.9–6.7 in) in length, and has the white-dark-white underwing pattern characteristic of Catharus thrushes. It is a member of a close-knit group of migrant species together with the veery and Bicknell's thrush; it forms a cryptic species pair with the latter. The gray-cheeked thrush is all but indistinguishable from Bicknell's thrush except by its slightly larger size and different song. The two were formerly considered conspecific. Of all the American spotted thrushes, the gray-cheeked has the most northern breeding range.
The gray-cheeked thrush is slightly larger than other Catharus thrushes, about 16 to 17 cm (6.7 in) in height and weighing between 26 and 30g. Wingspan ranges from 12.6-13.4 in (32-34 cm). The bird can be identified by its grayish face, partial pale eyering, drab gray-brown upperside and extensively dusky flanks. The area between the eye and the beak is grayish as well, but the area running from the beak to above the eye is grayish white. The gray-cheeked thrush is nearly identical to the Bicknell's Thrush.
There are two subspecies: the northern gray... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Gray-cheeked Thrush in Big Cypress National Preserve
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Big Cypress National Preserve
Swainson's Thrush
Catharus ustulatus
Hermit Thrush
Catharus guttatus
Veery
Catharus fuscescens
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
Palm Warbler
Setophaga palmarum
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Common Grackle
Quiscalus quiscula
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.