thrush, bird, common name for members of the Turdidae, a large family of birds found in most parts of the world and noted for their beautiful song. The majority are modestly colored, with spotted underparts, in either the young or the adult stage, although some have bright plumage. Among these are the American robin, Turdus migratorius, largest of the thrushes, and the Eastern bluebird, Sialia sialis, bright blue with a red breast. Other thrushes found in North America are the wood, olive-backed, and gray-cheeked thrushes, the solitaire, and the veery, or Wilson's, thrush. The hermit thrush, a shy forest dweller, is the finest singer. The European “blackbird,” the nightingale, the missel thrush, the stonechat, and the wheatear are thrushes. Thrushes are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Passeriformes, family Turdidae.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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