photo by Phil Swanson

Catharus minimus
L 7 1/4″ (18 cm).

Song or calls:
Thin, nasal song, rendered as “wee-oh, chee, chee, wee-oh,” rising at end. “Wee-ah” call.

Description: Sexes similar. Dull olive-brown above; white below, with heavy dark spots on breast; brownish-gray flanks; gray face; and incomplete and indistinct eye ring.

Behavior: Gray-cheeked Thrushes are shy birds, and keep mostly under cover. Searches for food on the ground.

Habitat: Migrants found in riverbottom forests, shelterbelts, heavy shrubbery, and shady deciduous woodlands, often near creeks or rivers.

Where in Nebraska: Common spring and fall migrant in eastern Nebraska, becoming uncommon westwardly.

Fun Facts: The Gray-cheeked Thrush looks the same as a Bicknell’s Thrush only slightly larger so another way to tell them apart is their song.

 
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