Gray-cheeked Thrush

Description:

The Gray-cheeked Thrush is a medium-sized thrush with brownish gray underparts and tail. It has a plain gray face with some light streaks but no eye ring.

Habitat:

Breeds in areas with closed canopy of small shrubs and a dense understory, up to the edge of the tundra. Winters in the understory of tropical forests. On migration it uses wooded sites with a thick understory. This one was photographed on my back deck in Edgefield County, SC. Nearby is a southeastern deciduous forest with a pond.

Notes:

Of all the American spotted thrushes, the Gray-cheeked has the most northern breeding range. Consequently this shy skulker of the underbrush is not well known and is rather infrequently seen. This was my first spotting of this species.