Wood Thrush
(Hylocichla mustelina)

Overview

Summary

© Jukka Jantunen
For additional photos and vocalizations, visit Dendroica. (Link opens in a new window.)

The Wood Thrush is found in woodlots in southern Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The Breeding Bird Survey suggests a large decrease in numbers since about 1970. Somewhat of a flagship species for declining neotropical migrants, the Wood Thrush has become one of the better-studied passerines since its decline was first identified. Habitat loss and forest fragmentation on its breeding grounds in North America and, perhaps even more importantly, on its wintering grounds in Central America and along its spring and fall migration routes (Stanley et al. 2014), along with maturation of forests in much of its former breeding habitat (Ahlering and Faaborg 2006), are thought to be important causes of its dramatic decline. The Wood Thrush has been assessed as Threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC 2012b). This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• BirdLife International / NatureServe
• Breeding Bird Survey (BBS): Relative Abundance and Breeding Distribution (1993-2012)

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation of world population

Conservation and management

The Wood Thrush’s decline, as with many forest birds, is thought to be due in part to habitat loss and fragmentation on both its breeding grounds in northeastern North America and its Central American wintering grounds. Wood Thrushes are most abundant in mid-successional forests. The recent maturation of these forests across eastern North America may be an important factor in the species’ widespread population decline (Faaborg et al. 2010). In addition, habitat degradation through over-browsing by white-tailed deer and residential development may also negatively affect Wood Thrush (COSEWIC 2012b). For information on the legal status of this species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) see the SARA Registry.

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

• conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
• stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
• management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
• other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

References

• Ahlering, M.A., and J. Faaborg. 2006. Avian habitat management meets conspecific attraction: if you build it, will they come? Auk 123:301–312.
• COSEWIC. 2012b. COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. ix + 46 pp. COSEWIC. 2012b. COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. ix + 46 pp. (Link)
• Faaborg, J., Holmes, R.T., Anders, A.D., Bildstein, K.L., Dugger, K.M., Gauthreaux, jr., S.A., Heglund, P, Hobson, K.A., Jahn, A.E., Johnson,D.H., Latta, S.C., Levey, D.J., Marra, P.P., Merkord, C.L., Nol, E., Rothstein, S.I., Sherry, T.W., Sillett, T.S., Thompson iii, F.R., and Warnock, N. 2010. Recent advances in understanding migration systems of New World land birds. Ecological Monographs, 80(1): 3–48.
• Stanley, C., E. McKinnon, K. Fraser, M. MacPherson, G. Casbourn, L. Friesen, P. Marra, C. Studds, T. B. Ryder, N. Diggs, and B. Stutchbury. 2014. Connectivity of Wood Thrush breeding, wintering, and migration sites based on range-wide tracking. Conservation Biology. doi: 10.1111/cobi.12352. Stanley, C., E. McKinnon, K. Fraser, M. MacPherson, G. Casbourn, L. Friesen, P. Marra, C. Studds, T. B. Ryder, N. Diggs, and B. Stutchbury. 2014. Connectivity of Wood Thrush breeding, wintering, and migration sites based on range-wide tracking. Conservation Biology. doi: 10.1111/cobi.12352. (Link)