Gray-cheeked Thrush

The Gray-cheeked Thrush breeds farther north than any other Catharus thrush, nesting in the stunted spruce and willow thickets of the subarctic taiga across northern Canada and Alaska, habitat that keeps it out of sight for most birders except during migration. It is a cold gray-brown bird lacking the warm buffy or tawny tones of its relatives.

As its name suggests, the cheeks are gray rather than buffy, and the eyering is faint and grayish rather than bold and white, contributing to an overall subdued, understated plumage that requires careful observation to separate from its closest relative, Bicknell's Thrush.

Key field marks

• Cold, gray-olive to gray-brown upperparts, lacking warm tones
• Gray cheeks and a faint, indistinct gray-white eyering
• Spotted upper breast on a whitish-gray background
• Little contrast between tail and back

Similar species

• Bicknell's Thrush: nearly identical but slightly smaller, with warmer brown upperparts, more contrast between a reddish-brown tail and the back, and a yellowish base to the lower mandible; best separated by voice and breeding range.
• Swainson's Thrush: shows a buffy, not gray, face and eyering.
• Veery: much warmer tawny overall with fainter spotting.

Habitat

Gray-cheeked Thrushes breed in subarctic and low-arctic habitats, including stunted spruce taiga, willow and alder thickets, and forest-tundra transition zones, generally farther north than any other Catharus thrush.

Range

The species breeds across northern Canada, Alaska, and locally in extreme northeastern Siberia. It migrates through the central and eastern United States and winters in northwestern South America.

Migration

Gray-cheeked Thrushes are long-distance nocturnal migrants, often noted for making some of the longest single overwater flights among songbirds during their journey between North and South America.

Behavior

Like other Catharus thrushes, Gray-cheeked Thrushes forage on or near the ground for insects and other invertebrates, shifting toward fruit during migration, and tend to be quiet, unobtrusive migrants that stay low in cover.

Voice

The song is a thin, nasal, somewhat buzzy series of notes that spiral downward, less rich and flute-like than the songs of Hermit or Swainson's Thrush; the flight call is a thin, high, downslurred "queee" often heard from migrating birds at night.

Nesting

Nests are built low in stunted spruce, willow, or alder shrubs in the taiga, constructed as a sturdy cup of twigs, moss, and grass. Females lay 3-4 pale blue eggs marked with brown spots.