Hermit Thrush

Catharus guttatus

The Hermit Thrush breeds in coniferous or mixed woods across southern Alaska and Canada, from British Columbia and the prairie provinces and east to the Atlantic shores of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, including the Great Lakes and much of New England in the USA. The intermountain zone of the western United States will also host a breeding population of these birds. Some areas of Arizona and New Mexico host year-round populations. In winter, these birds will stay along the Pacific coastal zone of the USA, and from the desert southwest east to the Atlantic coast near New Jersey and south into central Mexico. They may be one of the most widely distributed forest-nesting migratory birds in North America.

Many birders, including myself, will struggle to distinguish Hermit Thrushes from other birds in the Catharus genus, especially the Swainson’s Thrush. One feature I’ve found that helps me differentiate these two birds is the tail color. The tail color of the Swainson’s Thrush is nearly the same as its upper back, but the Hermit Thrush’s tail has a reddish tone that contrasts with its brown back. In winter, only the Hermit Thrush remains in the USA, while the Swainson’s Thrush migrates further south into Mexico, Central and South America to stay for the winter.

Researchers now recognise twelve subspecies (in three groups) of Hermit Thrush:

Northern Group:
- C. g. faxoni breeds in eastern and central Canada, and eastern USA. They spend winters in the southeastern USA and northern Mexico.
- C. g. euborius breeds in the Canadian Maritime Provinces, and spends winters in the southeastern and south-central USA.
Western Lowland Group:
- C. g. guttatus breeds in southern Alaska and the Canadian Yukon, and spends winters in the western USA and northern-central Mexico.
- C. g. nanus breeds in coastal British Columbia and southeastern Alaska. They spend winters in Baja California (Mexico).
- C. g. verecundus breeds on the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia, and spends winters on the coast of northern California.
- C. g. vaccinius breeds on Vancouver Island and spends winters south to coastal central California.
- C. g. jewetti breeds from western Washington and the Olympic Peninsula, and south to northwestern California.
- C. g. slevini breeds on the west coast of the USA and spends winters in northwestern Mexico.
- C. g. oromelus breeds east of the Cascades, from south-central British Columbia, east to northwestern Montana and south to northeastern California.
Western Mountain Group:
- C. g. sequoiensis breeds in the mountains of the American southwest, and northern Baja California and Chihuahua (Mexico). They spend winters in the south-central USA and northern Mexico.
- C. g. polionotus breeds in the Rocky Mountains of the northern USA and spends winters in western Mexico.
- C. g. auduboni breeds in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and northwestern USA, and spends winters in western-central USA, Mexico, and south to Guatemala.

My encounters with Hermit Thrushes have come from all across California, but I’ve also met them in southern Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, and in Texas, from the Big Bend region to the Lower Rio Grande Valley. As with other members of the thrush clan, they often pose with their bills held high.

Range Map for Hermit Thrush — *Range Map*

58 Photos

Hermit Thrush - Catharus guttatus — **Hermit Thrush**
*(Catharus guttatus)*

**Description:**
Up-slope along Old Mine Road, to the Montezuma Mines near Ranchita, California. San Diego County.
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**Date Taken:** 2014:10:19 11:45

**Location:**

Old Mine Road
Ranchita, California
United States
4032.35 ft above sea level

**Camera Information:**
NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/320

**File Name:** D3X0995-HermitThrush

© 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com

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Pin It — **Hermit Thrush**
*(Catharus guttatus)*

**Description:**
Up-slope along Old Mine Road, to the Montezuma Mines near Ranchita, California. San Diego County.
Read More

**Date Taken:** 2014:10:19 11:45

**Location:**

Old Mine Road
Ranchita, California
United States
4032.35 ft above sea level

**Camera Information:**
NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/320

**File Name:** D3X0995-HermitThrush

© 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com

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