Medium-sized thrush with a round head and a short, straight bill. Olive-brown above with a distinct buffy eyering. White underparts with brownish spotting on the throat and breast.
Individuals breeding in the Pacific states (often called the “Russet-backed” Thrush) are rustier above, with thinner, paler eyerings and medium-brown chest spotting.
Note strong buffy eyering and lores, creating "spectacled" look, as well as buffy wash on breast.
Individuals breeding in the eastern and northern parts of North America (often called “Olive-backed Thrush”) are more olive-brown above with darker spotting on the breast.
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Swainson’s Thrushes are medium-sized thrushes—slim songbirds with round heads and short, straight bills. Their fairly long wings and medium-length tail can make the back half of the bird appear long.
Smaller than an American Robin; larger than a White-throated Sparrow.
between sparrow and robinSwainson’s Thrushes that breed in the Pacific states (often called the “Russet-backed” Thrush) are rusty-brown above, with thinner, paler eyerings and medium-brown chest spotting. The widespread eastern and northern form (often called “Olive-backed Thrush”) is common east of the Cascades/Sierra Nevada.
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