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Gray-cheeked Thrush

ID Info
  • Gray-cheeked Thrush
  • Gray-cheeked Thrush
  • Gray-cheeked Thrush  video
Silhouette ThrushesThrushes
Gray-cheeked ThrushCatharus minimus
  • ORDER: Passeriformes
  • FAMILY: Turdidae

Basic Description

The Gray-cheeked Thrush is one of the shyest and hardest-to-identify of the thrushes in the genus Catharus. This delicate thrush has a plain grayish face, spotted breast, grayish flanks—and a beautiful, fluting song that rises and falls throughout its dense breeding habitat. Abundant in their far northern haunts, Gray-cheeked Thrushes are mainly seen sporadically during migration stopovers en route to and from South American wintering grounds. Learning their call notes can reveal their true abundance, as you may hear hundreds pass overhead on a single night.

More ID Info
image of range map for Gray-cheeked Thrush
Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding
Range map provided by Birds of the World
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Find This Bird

If you can make it to their breeding habitat in late May or June, Gray-cheeked Thrushes are fairly noticeable as males sing profusely in places where forests give way to thickets or alpine meadow. Most birdwatchers will want to look for this species on migration, when this and other thrush species may gather to fuel up at fruiting bushes and trees. Learning the song and especially the call note is a great aid in finding this species.

Other Names

  • Zorzalito Carigrís (Spanish)
  • Grive à joues grises (French)
  • Cool Facts