Swainson's Thrush is Lichen That Branch

This Swainson's Thrush (perhaps due for a renaming) was perched on a fairly heavily lichened branch. Though there are a lot of thrushes around here, American Robins and Eastern Bluebirds are the ones I see the most (though I have met some Hermit Thrushes on occasion).

This is another bird that's not easily identified, mostly because there are other thrushes that look pretty similar. I think you're supposed to identify the Swainson's Thrush based on a little more light coloring around the eyes and a back that's slightly grayer than similar thrushes.

In the foreseeable future, you won't see Swainson's Thrushes around because ... they're in line to have their name changed. The American Ornithological Society wants to rename all birds named after people. Though the subject came about due to some birds named after unsavory characters, it was also noticed that while names like Red-winged Blackbird tells you a lot about the bird's appearance [1], names like Swainson's Thrush [2] convey virtually no information on the bird. 

May 12, 2023 at Lord Stirling Park
Photo 282422418, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] Admittedly Red-winged Blackbird is only a good description of the males of the species.

[2] The Swainson's Thrush was named after William John Swainson, a British ornithologist.

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