Spring Thrush

Day 133: Typically, male Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius, shown here) arrive ahead of the females, hoping to establish exclusive territory which they will defend against rivals for the same turf, often locking beaks with their competitor during a struggle for dominance. He voices his call both to alert other males that he has taken possession of an area, but also to attract potential mates. It is thought that nest-building is the domain of the female, and Varied Thrush are known to be monogamous, at least through one season and possibly longer. If two broods are raised in a single year, it is likely that the father of both is the same bird. The female lays up to six eggs. The young are altricial (nidicolous), i.e., naked but for patches of soft down (and here I must voice my obligatory qualifier: "there is nothing...absolutely nothing!...cuter than baby birds"). In summer, the Thrush's diet consists largely of insects which it scavenges from leaf litter. In the winter, the birds eat fruits and nuts.