Appearance: The Hermit thrush is about 7″ long. In the east, they’re rich brown with brown flanks (belly area below the wing). In the west, they’re gray/brown with gray flanks. They have a cinnamon-colored tail, dark round eyes with a white eye-ring, and tan breasts with dark spots.
Diet: Insects and fruit.
Feeder food: Unlikely to visit a feeder.
Habitat: Forested areas that are rich with coniferous and hardwood trees.
Nesting: They build a cup-shaped nest made of grass and placed it on the ground. They have 1-2 broods/season, usually, 4 eggs/brood, and the eggs are light blue – sometimes with brown spots. Incubation is for 12-13 days and fledglings leave the nest about 12-13 days after hatching.
Migration: Hermit thrushes are migrators. In spring they head north to the western US states as well as Canada to breed and raise their young. Then in the fall, they migrate south to the southern part of the US, along the pacific coast, and Mexico for the winter. There are a few small patches throughout the US where populations of Hermit thrushes remain year-round.
Year-round range: Northern and central east California, western Nevada, southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
Breeding range: Northern Washington, Idaho, western Montana, Wyoming, eastern California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, New England, Alaska, and the Canadian provinces (except Nunavut),
Winter range: Pacific coast, southern Arizona, southeastern New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and states east of there.
Range Map
