The Bicknell’s Thrush (Catharus bicknelli) is a rare, medium sized thrush weighing roughly 28 grams. The adults have olive-brown underparts, a reddish tail, grayish brown spotted breast, a faint grey eye-ring and gray cheeks.
This small sized thrush is ranked as a species of concern in the State of New York, protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, globally “vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and is of the highest conservation concern.
The population trends, limited ecological knowledge and small estimated population size have placed the status of this species under debate at the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Several factors have been taken into consideration attributing to the species low population numbers. One of the most important factors is the species loss of habitat. The reduction of the boreal mountain habitat has been shrinking due to air emissions and acid rain. Time will only tell what the effects of increased temperatures will attribute to the boreal habitat. This year alone has proved to be a year of record breaking temperatures that spanned across the northeast United States. These factors have put a heightened emergency to change the species status and protect one of the rarest American songbirds to grace our High Peaks.