Swainson's Thrush

A series of ethereal, upward-spiraling whistled phrases that seem to disappear into the treetops; most often given at dawn and dusk.

Breeds across Alaska, Canada, and the northern and montane western United States; winters from Mexico south through Central America to northern South America.

Moist coniferous and mixed forests with dense understory, especially along streams and edges; during migration it frequents thickets, parks, and riparian corridors.

Long-distance nocturnal migrant. Arrives on breeding grounds April–June, departs August–September. Peaks at night over U.S. Gulf Coast in spring and along Atlantic Coast in fall.

Swainson's Thrush is a slender, olive-brown songbird celebrated for its ethereal, upward-spiraling song that echoes through North American conifer and mixed forests. A member of the Catharus thrushes, it migrates astonishing distances between boreal breeding grounds and Neotropical wintering areas.