Thrushes have long been celebrated for their ethereal songs. We'll listen to three that you are likely to hear in our woods this time of year.
Something Wild
6/24/2005 ? Woodland Thrushes
360 words (approx)
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So who has the sweetest voice in the forest (alt: Who is the American Idol of the forest?)? Several species of woodland thrushes are top contenders. Since these reclusive birds are more often heard than seen, it is helpful to know how to identify them by song and by habitat preference.
Hi, this is Iain MacLeod from New Hampshire Audubon, bringing you Something Wild.
But first, what makes the song of thrushes such impressive vocalists? Because these birds have the equivalent of two sets of "vocal cords," they are able to sing with two voices simultaneously.
<< WOOD THRUSH SONG>>
Henry David Thoreau called the wood thrush ?a Shakespeare among birds.? This species is common and widespread throughout southern New Hampshire and prefers mature deciduous or mixed woods at lower elevations.
Another strong contender is the hermit thrush.
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To many, this is the most beautiful song of any North American bird. They favor mixed conifer woods at mid-elevations and are becoming more widespread throughout the region.
The ethereal, downward-spiraling song of the veery is also familiar.
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This bird prefers to live in woods with a very thick understory, so it can be difficult to see. It also prefers low elevations.
The much less common Bicknell?s thrush is the mountaineer of the group. You are most likely to hear its lovely song high in the mountains of northern New England, just below tree-line.
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The Bicknell?s thrush was recently included in a study that shows that songbirds in the mountain forests of the Northeast are accumulating mercury. Among the four species sampled, mercury concentrations in blood were found to be the highest in Bicknell?s thrush. While mercury contamination was once thought to be limited to fish-eating birds, it is now clear that insect-eating songbirds have been affected as well, including those inhabiting mountaintops. This surprising finding suggests that airborne mercury is more pervasive than previously thought.
Something Wild is a joint production of New Hampshire Audubon, New Hampshire Public Radio, and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
For Something Wild, I?m Iain MacLeod.
If you have a natural history question that you would like answered on Something Wild, email us at somethingwild@nhpr.org.
