Varied Thrush

One more Varied Thrush image, a male banded on 12 October 2019! This capture brings Varied Thrush bandings past a dozen in October. Varied Thrushes are basically birds of the west coast of North America, breeding in the north and wintering in the south. They do wander during migration. They are recorded in every Canadian province except Newfoundland and all the Unted States except Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and North Carolina. Especially outside of their normal range, Varied Thrush population numbers vary greatly, with peaks every two to five years. Numbers appear to be increasing in the Midwest, but George (2000) warns that this trend is “likely due to more complete coverage and reporting rather than increase in numbers.” Until this year, one of my best Varied Thrush sighting was in Minnesota several winters ago.