Catharus ustulatus
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Swainson's thrush (Catharus ustulatus), also called olive-backed thrush, russet-backed thrush, and salmonberry bird is a medium-sized thrush. It is a member of genus Catharus and is typical of it in terms of its subdued coloration and beautiful, ascending flute-like voice. Swainson's thrush was named after William Swainson, an English ornithologist.
The genus name Catharus comes from the Ancient Greek katharos, "pure or clean" and refers to the plumage of the orange-billed nightingale-thrush C. aurantiirostris. The specific ustulatus is Latin for "burnt", from urere, "to burn".
The breeding habitat of Swainson's thrush is coniferous woods with dense undergrowth across Canada, Alaska, and the northern United States; also, deciduous wooded areas on the Pacific coast of North America. These birds migrate to southern Mexico and as far south as Argentina. The coastal subspecies migrate down the Pacific coast of North America and winter from Mexico to Costa Rica, whereas the continental birds migrate eastwards within North America (a substantial detour) and then travel southwards via Florida to winter from Panama to Bolivia. Swainson... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Medellín | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 6 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 10 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Swainson's Thrush sighting in Tikal National Park on a given day, based on 473 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 82nd most-seen of the 300 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Swainson's Thrush in Tikal National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to August, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Swainson's Thrush sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
17th of 100
Of the 100 parks where we can rate Swainson's Thrush sightings, Tikal National Park ranks 17th at about 20%. The best odds are in Nahanni National Park (Canada, about 70%), Gros Morne National Park (Canada, about 60%) and Glacier National Park (United States, about 60%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Swainson's Thrush is recorded against all the birds logged in Tikal National Park (473 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
