{"id":3401,"date":"2020-10-09T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-09T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/?p=3401"},"modified":"2020-10-21T00:55:36","modified_gmt":"2020-10-21T00:55:36","slug":"the-hidden-world-of-the-varied-thrush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/2020\/10\/09\/the-hidden-world-of-the-varied-thrush\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hidden World of the Varied Thrush"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Introducing the Varied Thrush!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Among the many birds in the Pacific Northwest, one of the most reclusive is the Varied Thrush! Although not often seen, it’s eerie song can be heard across British Columbia in it’s many forests from the coast to east of the Rocky Mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An Adult Male Varied Thrush (Photo by Glenn Bartley<\/a>).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Description<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius<\/em>) is a passerine and belongs to the Turdidae family. While it is the only member of its genus, there are four recognized subspecies, which are defined by subtle differences in female plumage (American Bird Conservancy<\/a>). The Varied Thrush is a relatively large species of thrush, comparable to the American Robin in size, although slightly larger on average, weighing between 65 and 100 grams for both sexes (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology<\/a>). The Varied Thrush is a very vibrant bird, with both sexes displaying a distinct bright orange breast, throat, and supercilium, along with orange interspersed with gray throughout the wings. It should be noted however that female and immature Varied Thrush have very similar plumage and are difficult to distinguish by sight, although juveniles also have whiteish bellies (Animal Diversity Web<\/a>). Winter is typically the best time to observe them, as they stand out against the white snow and have much less vegetation to obscure them. It is such a classic bird in British Columbia that the Atlas of Breeding Birds of British Columbia made the bird their logo!<\/p>\n\n\n\n