The Hermit Thrush is widely considered the finest singer of Michigan's forests, its song an ethereal, flute-like phrase that begins on a single clear note and spirals upward into shimmering, echoing cadences, each phrase pitched differently from the last. Modest in appearance — warm brown above, white below with dark spots — it is best distinguished from its close relatives by its reddish tail, which contrasts with the browner back, and its habit of slowly raising and lowering that tail while flicking its wings.
Hardier than the other brown thrushes, the Hermit Thrush is the first to arrive in spring and the last to leave in fall, and a few even overwinter in Michigan where fruit is available. It breeds in the coniferous and mixed forests of the north, foraging on the shaded forest floor for insects and turning to berries in the colder months. Its combination of a sublime voice and quiet, retiring habits has made it a favorite of poets and naturalists alike.
Forages on the forest floor for insects, spiders, and other invertebrates in the breeding season, hopping and flipping leaf litter, and shifts heavily to berries and wild fruit in fall and winter. This ability to switch to fruit lets it arrive early, linger late, and occasionally overwinter.
The Hermit Thrush is renowned for its ethereal, flute-like song, often considered the most beautiful of any North American bird. Each phrase starts with a clear note and rises into shimmering, echoing tones.
The Hermit Thrush has a reddish tail that contrasts with its browner back, and it flicks its wings and slowly raises its tail. The Wood Thrush is bigger and more boldly spotted; Swainson's Thrush has buffy "spectacles" and a uniformly brown tail.
Mostly it is an early and late migrant, but a few Hermit Thrushes overwinter in the state where berries and fruit remain available, making it the hardiest of our brown thrushes.
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