Thrushes are a family of birds that includes many common backyard birds like robins, bluebirds, and mockingbirds. In winter, food can be scarce for thrushes and they must adapt their diets to survive the cold months. Thrush species employ a variety of strategies to find enough calories and nutrients during the winter.
Do thrushes migrate or stay put for winter?
Many thrush species are migratory, heading south in the fall to escape harsh northern winters. However, some thrush species are permanent residents that tough out winter in their breeding grounds year-round.
Here are some examples of migratory and non-migratory thrush species:
Migratory Thrush Species | Non-Migratory Thrush Species |
---|---|
American Robin | Wood Thrush |
Hermit Thrush | Eastern Bluebird |
Swainson’s Thrush | American Bluebird |
Veery | Western Bluebird |
Thrushes that migrate can take advantage of abundant food sources further south. Those that overwinter in their summer range must make do with whatever food they can find during the lean winter months.
How do thrushes find food in winter?
Thrushes employ a variety of strategies for finding food in the winter:
Foraging on fruit and berries
Many thrush species switch from eating mainly insects in the summer to relying on fruit and berries in winter. Some thrushes make seasonal movements based on fruit crops. For example, American Robins may migrate in winter based on the availability of food sources like crabapples, juniper berries, and sumac berries.
Switching to seed and nut sources
Thrushes supplement their winter diets with sources of fat and protein like seeds and nuts. For example, American Robins eat a variety of seeds including sumac, dogwood, and black cherry seeds.
Eating at feeders
Backyard bird feeders provide a vital supplemental food source for overwintering thrushes. Suet feeders are popular with fruit-eating species like robins and bluebirds.
Searching leaf litter for insects
Even in winter, thrushes search through leaf litter on the forest floor for insect prey like beetles, caterpillars, and spiders. These invertebrates provide an important source of protein for thrushes when other food is scarce.
What kinds of fruit and berries do thrushes eat?
Thrushes are omnivorous, eating both plant and animal material. Here are some of the top fruit and berry food sources for thrushes in winter:
Juniper berries
Juniper berries last through winter and are an excellent source of carbohydrates and nutrients for thrushes like robins, bluebirds, and Townsend’s solitaires.
Sumac berries
Sumac trees hold their bright red fruiting structures high to lift berries above snow. These tangy berries are rich in vitamin C.
Crabapples
Crabapple trees provide an important source of winter fruit. Thrush species like robins gorge on the persistent apples.
Holly berries
Evergreen holly bushes produce abundant red berries loved by wintering bluebirds, hermit thrushes, and other species.
Hawthorn and rose hips
Hawthorn and rose bushes produce red hips full of carotenoids that thrushes seek out in winter.
Thrush Species | Favorite Winter Fruits |
---|---|
American Robin | Sumac berries, crabapples, juniper berries, dogwood berries, hawthorn hips |
Hermit Thrush | Sumac berries, juniper berries, rose hips, poison ivy berries |
Wood Thrush | Poison ivy berries, dogwood berries, holly berries, sumac berries |
Eastern Bluebird | Dogwood berries, sumac berries, holly berries, rose hips |
As this table shows, different thrushes have preferences for certain fruits and berries based on regional and seasonal availability.
What kinds of seeds and nuts do thrushes eat in winter?
In addition to fruits, thrushes supplement their winter diets with high-fat seeds and nuts:
Dogwood seeds
Dogwood trees produce small red fruits packed with large brown seeds. Thrushes extract these nutritious seeds.
Sumac seeds
Sumac berries contain smooth brown seeds eaten by thrushes.
Rosacea seeds
The pits and seeds of rose family plants like hawthorn, crabapple, cherry, and plum trees provide important fats for thrushes.
Acorns
Thrushes eat chopped acorn pieces to obtain oils and carbohydrates.
Beechnuts
American Robins eat beechnuts where available. The large nuts are high in fat.
Pine seeds
Pine seeds offer nutrition and oils for thrushes like Eastern Bluebirds in winter.
Again, the availability of these seed and nut sources depends on geography and habitat. But thrushes are resourceful, targeting energy-dense seeds from whatever trees and shrubs are present in their range.
What human-provided foods do thrushes rely on in winter?
As backyard birds, many thrushes have adapted to take advantage of food sources provided by humans:
Suet feeders
Suet is rendered beef fat provided in bird feeders. High-fat suet is excellent winter nutrition for fruit-eating thrushes like robins and bluebirds.
Mealworms
Live and dried mealworms offered at feeders are rich in protein and fat. Many thrushes devour these nutritious insect larvae.
Fruit slices
Thrushes appreciate sliced fruit like apples, oranges, and bananas offered in backyard feeding stations.
Birdseed
Thrushes eat larger seeds from mixes offered in feeders, like sunflower seeds, peanuts, raisins, and millet.
By providing suet, mealworms, fruit, and birdseed, humans can help visiting thrushes supplement their natural winter diet.
How do thrushes find insects and other invertebrates in winter?
Thrushes use a few key strategies to find protein-rich animal food during the winter:
Leaf litter probing
Thrushes probe through leaf litter on the forest floor searching for insects, worms, and spiders.
Bark probing
Thrushes pry off loose bark and probe crevices searching for dormant insects and spiders.
Floodplain foraging
Thrushes search muddy floodplains of creeks and rivers for earthworms and insect larvae exposed by receding waters.
Thawing excrement
Thrushes pick through thawing animal droppings searching for frozen insect remains.
Rotting fruit foraging
Fruit like crabapples left on trees often harbors insect larvae that thrushes probe for.
Through these strategies, thrushes uncover essential invertebrate food sources during harsh winters when other prey is unavailable. This dietary flexibility allows different thrush species to overwinter successfully across North America despite frozen conditions limiting food availability.
Conclusion
Thrushes survive winter through behavioral and dietary flexibility. By switching to seasonally abundant fruit and seed sources, foraging for hibernating insects, and taking advantage of backyard feeding, thrushes obtain adequate nutrition through the winter. This adaptability allows thrush populations to endure northern winters and thrive across diverse North American habitats. While food may be limited in winter, thrushes find the calories and nutrients they require through resourcefulness and an omnivorous appetite.