Episode Number
1
Episode Show Notes / Description
Wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina).
The thrush that sings the North American forest's most hauntingly beautiful song.
Note: this episode is a re-recording of an episode originally published in May of 2024
Do you want to learn more bird songs, frog calls, and insect noises? Join Voice of the Wild every Friday to explore a new wild voice. We’re available on most podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
The thrush that sings the North American forest's most hauntingly beautiful song.
Note: this episode is a re-recording of an episode originally published in May of 2024
Do you want to learn more bird songs, frog calls, and insect noises? Join Voice of the Wild every Friday to explore a new wild voice. We’re available on most podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
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The following Macaulay Library recordings were used in today’s episode:
- Wood thrush song by Wil Hershberger (ML508708)
- Wood thrush call by Wil Hershberger (ML508718)
- Wood thrush trills by Peter Paul Kellogg (ML508707)
Sources and more:
- https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Thrush
- https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/wood-thrush
- Dobson, C., Kassenbaum, D., Oehmke, D., & Misewicz, M. (2023). Field guide to hotspots and birds in Illinois. Scissortail LLC.
- Godfrey, M. A., & Kaufman, Kenn. (Directors). (2004). National Audubon Society videoguide to the birds of North America [Video recording]. In Audubon videoguide to 505 birds of North America DVD I & DVD II (Fullscreen.). Godfrey-Stadin Productions.
- Peterson, R. T., & Peterson, V. M. (1980). A field guide to the birds: A completely new guide to all the birds of eastern and central North America (Fourth edition, completely revised and enlarged.). Houghton Mifflin Company.
- Sibley, D. (2016). Sibley birds East: Field guide to birds of eastern North America (2nd ed.). Alfred A. Knopf.
- Walton, R. K., & Lawson, R. W. (1989). Birding by Ear: Eastern/Central [Compact Disc]. On Eastern/Central birding by ear. Houghton Mifflin Co.
Transcript
This is Brodie with Illinois Extension and I’m here with a new “voice of the wild”
The elegant harmonies of this woodland song have greatly delayed many hikes; the haunting melody drawing hikers off the beaten trail and deep into the shaded woods. But following this song will not usually lead to ruin; it will instead lead to a robinlike bird with a rust-brown back and striking speckled chest. This is the wood thrush.
The wood thrush’s soft, multitone song is the favorite of many; including me, and while their “whip whip whip” call and their singing voice are both quite distinctive, there are some variations of the song’s metallic, trilling end, which are worth knowing and i’ll play those now:
Altogether now, here’s the wood thrush again.
Thank you to the Macaulay library at the Cornell lab for today’s sound. Learn more about voice of the wild at go.illinois.edu/VOW
The elegant harmonies of this woodland song have greatly delayed many hikes; the haunting melody drawing hikers off the beaten trail and deep into the shaded woods. But following this song will not usually lead to ruin; it will instead lead to a robinlike bird with a rust-brown back and striking speckled chest. This is the wood thrush.
The wood thrush’s soft, multitone song is the favorite of many; including me, and while their “whip whip whip” call and their singing voice are both quite distinctive, there are some variations of the song’s metallic, trilling end, which are worth knowing and i’ll play those now:
Altogether now, here’s the wood thrush again.
Thank you to the Macaulay library at the Cornell lab for today’s sound. Learn more about voice of the wild at go.illinois.edu/VOW