ThrushesClay-colored ThrushTurdus grayi
- ORDER: Passeriformes
- FAMILY: Turdidae
Basic Description
The Clay-colored Thrush makes up for its understated appearance—uniformly warm brown—with a virtuoso song that fills the air with a beautiful caroling. This thrush is common in open forests and lightly wooded areas from northern Colombia to Mexico, and just ranges north into southern Texas. Like the American Robin and other relatives, the Clay-colored Thrush forages on the ground for earthworms and other invertebrates, feasts on berries and fruits, and lays its eggs in a sturdy cup nest.
More ID InfoOther Names
- Zorzal Pardo (Spanish)
- Merle fauve (French)
- Cool Facts
- Beloved for its melodious song, the common and familiar Clay-colored Thrush—and not flashier choices like Resplendent Quetzal or Three-wattled Bellbird—is the national bird of Costa Rica.
- Clay-colored Thrushes regularly visit feeding stations with fruit, and sometimes make appearances at the Cornell Lab’s Panama Fruit Feeder Cam at Canopy Lodge.
