Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts
Gray-cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus)
– —
Abundance: Very Uncommon during spring and fall; recorded in 21 Regional counties, 8 in Kentucky and 13 in Tennessee (Map of UCR Distribution); data from the Regional bird-monitoring efforts are too few to generate a reliable trend for the migratory population in the Region (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).
Status: Transient during spring and fall; photograph [slightly obscured lateral view] (Winston A. Walden; West Oak Dr., Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee; 8 October 2011).
Regional High Count and FBC/FBB High Count: 19 (2 October 2010; McCreary County, Kentucky [FBB]; m. ob.); SBC/SBB High Count: 5 (9 May 1998; Putnam County, Tennessee [FBC]; m. ob.).
Regional Extreme Dates:
Spring: x (
Fall: x (
Note: Spring arrival generally widespread by 5 May, while spring departure usually complete by 20 May; fall arrival generally somewhat widespread by 20 September, while fall departure data are too thin to indicate a date by which this thrush has completed its passage through the Region. Regional dates of earliest reported spring arrival and latest reported spring departure, as well as earliest reported fall arrival and latest reported fall departure, for the migration seasons 2002–2011 follow:
| Year | Early Spring Arrival Date | Late Spring Departure Date | Early Fall Arrival Date | Late Fall Departure Date |
| 2002 | -- | -- | 21 September | -- |
| 2003 | -- | -- | 21 September | 1 October |
| 2004 | 5 May | 21 May | 24 September | -- |
| 2005 | 30 April | 22 May | 17 September | 1 October |
| 2006 | -- | 20 May | -- | 7 October |
| 2007 | 27 April | -- | 15 September | 20 October |
| 2008 | 3 May | 27 May | 16 September | -- |
| 2009 | 29 April | 16 May | 7 September | -- |
| 2010 | -- | 20 May | 18 September | 19 October |
| 2011 | 30 April | 20 May | 8 September | -- |
Habitat: x
YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations, a telling indication of this thrush's general scarcity and/or low detectibility in Regional yards and neighborhoods, a result that is consonant with the overall Regional scarcity of this migrant thrush.
Remarks: Like the Swainson's Thrush, this thrush is counted in highest numbers (see Regional High Count [above]) by listening for its distinctive flight call during pre-dawn hours on clear nights during the fall migration.
Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR
Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.
| Barren | Metcalfe | Adair | Russell | Pulaski |
| Monroe | Cumberland | Clinton | Wayne | McCreary |
| Macon | Clay | Pickett | Fentress | Scott |
| Smith | Jackson | Overton | Putnam | Morgan |
| DeKalb | White | Cumberland | ||
| Warren | Van Buren | Bledsoe |
Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR
Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.
Literature Cited
