Habitat
Uses a wide variety of habitats, including forests and shrublands; favors internal forest edges such as pond or meadow margins, mountain bogs bordered by conifers, and small clearings created in forest by disturbance such as logging, fire, or wind (Jones and Donovan 1996). Although often associated with forest edges (Jones and Donovan 1996, AOU 1998), a study of nest success in Wisconsin hardwood forests showed probability of nest failure increased with decreasing distance to clearcut edge (Flaspohler et al. 2001). Negatively impacted by forest fragmentation in southern Wyoming (Keller and Anderson 1992) and throughout its range (Hames 1999). In Alaska, generally occupies forest habitats; inhabits tall shrub thickets (of usually Alnus crispa) beyond tree line. In Southeast Alaska, found in forest stands of all ages, even over 150 years old (Kessler 1979); abundant in old-growth and early successional spruce-hemlock stands on Prince of Wales Island (Noble 1977, Pogson et al. 1997). On the Kenai Peninsula in southcentral Alaska, nests in forest stands of all ages under 100 years old (Quinlan 1978, Quinlan 1979). In interior Alaska, occurs in deciduous, white spruce coniferous and mixed forests; territories associated with forest edges. Does not typically occur in black spruce-dominated forests, scattered woodland or dwarf forests (Spindler and Kessel 1980). In western-southwestern Alaska, utilizes tall shrub thickets near the coast and barren islands off the coast (Pogson et al. 1997).
References
AOU. 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. 829 pp.
Flaspohler, D. J., S. A. Temple, and R. N. Rosenfield. 2001. Species-specific edge effects on nest success and breeding bird density in a forested landscape. Ecological Applications 11(1):32-46.
Hames, S. 1999. Early looks at thrush relationships. Birdscope 13(3):11-13.

Jones, P. W., and T. M. Donovan. 1996. Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus). In The Birds of North America, No. 261 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists’ Union.
Keller, M. E., and S. H. Anderson. 1992. Avian use of habitat configurations created by forest cutting in southeastern Wyoming. Condor 94:55-65.
Kessler, W.B. 1979. Bird population responses to clearcutting in the Tongass National Forest of Southeast Alaska. USDA, USFS, Tongass National Forest, Ketchikan, AK. Alaska Region report No. 71.
Noble, R.E. 1977. Breeding-bird populations in hemlock-spruce old growth and clearcuts, Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. USDA, USFS, Ketchikan, AK. 56 p.
Pogson, T. H., S. E. Quinlan, and B. Lehnhausen. 1997. A manual of selected neotropical migrant birds of Alaska national forests. USDA, USFS, Juneau, AK.
Quinlan, S.E. 1978. Bird communities and white spruce succession on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Unpubl. report to the Chugach National Forest, Seward, Alaska. 34 pp.
Quinlan, S.E. 1979. Effects of controlled burning and succession of white spruce forests on breeding bird communities, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Unpublished report, Chugach National Forest, Seward, AK.
Spindler, M. A. and B. A. Kessel. 1980. Avian populations and habitat use in interior Alaska taiga. Syesis 13:61- 104.
