Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)
*Scan provided by artist, Mandy Bass.
Specimen collection provided by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.Â
Status: Threatened (designated in 2012)
Range: The Wood Thrush is a long-distance migrant that crosses the Gulf of Mexico twice each year, making the journey in a single night’s flight. It winters in tropical lowland and foothill forests of Central America and returns north to breed across the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. Spring migration is faster and follows a slightly more western route compared to fall migration, with males typically arriving on the breeding grounds several days before females.
Habitat: Wood Thrushes breed in mature deciduous and mixed forests with a dense understory and moist soil. In winter, they inhabit tropical broadleaf forests in Central America, favoring areas with abundant fruit and insect resources.
Human Impact: Habitat loss and fragmentation, both on breeding and wintering grounds, are major drivers of Wood Thrush population decline. Urbanization, deforestation, and the introduction of non-native species, such as deer and invasive plants, further degrade critical habitats.
Significant Events: In 2002, large-scale studies conducted by Cornell University linked acid rain to declines in Wood Thrush populations. Research in the Appalachian region found that acid rain, by depleting soil calcium levels, reduced the availability of important prey, such as snails and insects, which in turn impacted the reproductive success of Wood Thrushes. This was one of the first well-documented links between atmospheric pollution and specific songbird declines.