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 Chingaza National Natural Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Chingaza National Natural Park
Swainson's Thrush
Catharus ustulatus
Yellow-throated Nightingale-Thrush
Catharus dryas
Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush
Catharus fuscater
Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush
Catharus aurantiirostris
Great Thrush
Turdus fuscater
Pale-breasted Thrush
Turdus leucomelas
Andean Solitaire
Myadestes ralloides
Bare-eyed Thrush
Turdus nudigenis
Black-billed Thrush
Turdus ignobilis
Chestnut-bellied Thrush
Turdus fulviventris
Yellow-legged Thrush
Turdus flavipes
Glossy-black Thrush
Turdus serranus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.