Varied Thrush - By Colin Bartlett

Photo: J. Morrison

To me the Varied Thrush is a sure sign of fall and winter as they are usually the last bird to return to the feeders this time of year. Their beautiful bright markings add a splash of colour to the dull winter landscape along with a unique but eerie song.

The Varied Thrush is part of the Thrushes family, scientific name Turdidae, which also includes Bluebirds and the American Robin. They are the same size as the American Robin but have a beautiful orange colour and a few extra markings than the robin. One of the identification markings is the orange eye stripe and the orange coloured breast with a black band similar to that on the Northern Flicker. There are also noticeable orange wing markings on the thrush, compared to no markings on the robin. The colours on the males stand out with the black and orange but the female Varied Thrush is a brownish colour with the orange markings. Sometimes the Varied Thrush can be miss identified with an oriole, as they are both orange and black but the bill of the thrush is a little shorter and blunt at the tip.

The Varied Thrush has a unique call that is sometimes described as eerie, weird and mysterious but it is one that is easy to remember. They have a single whistled note which goes up in pitch and is sometimes followed by another single note that may be a higher or lower pitch. On an early foggy morning the song of the Varied Thrush can seem a little eerie like something out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

The Varied Thrush is a western bird with a range from Northern California up to Alaska and west to the Rocky Mountains. Varied Thrush can be seen year round along the coast of British Columbia up to Alaska and into Washington State, and they winter in Oregon and Northern California. Their preferred habitat is thick damp conifer forests but move down in the winter to find other food sources.

The Varied Thrush is very adaptable to a variety of food. They feed on berries and bugs the same as the robins but they also feed on seeds whether natural seeds or from your bird feeders. Over the years at my feeders it seemed as though all the Varied Thrush eat was white millet seed. That was in the beginning, now they prefer to feed on the black oil sunflower seed, along with the peanut halves and anything that pleases them. I even had a Varied Thrush taking some of the Steller’s Jays peanuts in the shell and the jay was not to sure as what to do about someone else taking his peanuts. You can also place out apples that have been cut in half or quarters for the Varied Thrush and the robins. Place the apples on a tray feeder or in amongst the branches of a tree, where the birds can easily perch and reach the apples.

Varied Thrush prefers to use a hopper or fly through feeder instead of a tube style feeder. Better yet is to have that feeder mounted on a post so it is stable. You will notice that a post mounted feeder will become your most active feeder, as all birds will use it. In my yard it is the large fly through feeder on a post that the Varied Thrush use along with a little tray feeder wedged in my apple tree. If you are feeding them on the ground or a stump, make sure it is in an open area so the birds have a chance to see predators coming, such as cats and hawks.

  

During the non-breeding season birds are not usually territorial with a few exceptions and one of those is the Varied Thrush. Although localized, the Varied Thrush will defend a territory around a bird feeder or feeding station defending against other Varied Thrush and some other species. Interestingly enough I have only see one thrush at a time visiting my backyard feeders, although there would be others around but not in my backyard.

Another trick for feeding robins and thrushes is to place a tarp, piece of plywood, or over turn a row boat on your garden or lawn. After a heavy frost or snow fall, flip over your object. This leaves a bare spot for the birds to feed on bugs and larvae, other wise covered by the snow. Even turn your garden once and a while during the winter for the birds to feed on the bugs.

The Varied Thrush is a unique species to have visiting the backyard during the fall and winter. As they just begin to wandering down from the woods their numbers will increase around the backyard feeders, as I usually see my first Varied Thrush visitor in December.

Happy birding!

Additional Tip: Varied Thrush also love to eat suet. You can grate partially frozen peanut suet (or tree icing) on the ground and then sit back and enjoy watching the Varied Thrush gobble it up. They will also eat from our Saturn Suet holders if available in your backyard.