Catharus bicknelli
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
Bicknell's thrush (Catharus bicknelli) is a medium-sized thrush, at 17.5 cm (6.9 in) and 28 g (0.99 oz). One of North America's rarest and most localized songbirds, it breeds on coniferous mountain tops and disturbed habitats of northeastern North America. While very similar in appearance and vocalization to the gray-cheeked thrush (Catharus minimus), the two species differ slightly in their morphology and vocalizations, although they have with completely different breeding ranges. It was named after Eugene Bicknell, an American amateur ornithologist, who made the first scientific discovery of the species on Slide Mountain in the Catskills in the late 19th century. John Burroughs, in his essay, "The Heart of the Southern Catskills" (1886), writes effusively about the voice of Bicknell's thrush heard near the summit on his climbs of Slide Mountain, and how on his stays on Slide saw them nowhere else but "about the summit", and saw no other thrush but Bicknell's.
Bicknell's thrush is just slightly smaller than the other northern migratory Catharus thrushes, with an average length of approximately 17 cm (6.7 in) and a weight ranging generally from 26 to 30g. Both sexes... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bicknell's Thrush sighting in New York City on a given day, based on 127 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 298th most-seen of the 359 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bicknell's Thrush in New York City on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bicknell's Thrush sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Bicknell's Thrush sightings, New York City ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Baltimore (United States, under 5%).
Same genus: Catharus
The closest relatives of the Bicknell's Thrush that you can see in New York City (genus Catharus, Brown Thrushes and Nightingale-Thrushes) are Hermit Thrush (about 20%), Swainson's Thrush (about 10%) and Veery (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bicknell's Thrush is recorded against all the birds logged in New York City (127 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
