Mystery Bird: White-throated Thrush, Turdus assimilis

Clay-colored Robin?

It looks thrush/robin-like in beak and body shape. Brown above, streaky white/brown throat, light buff breast.

But, the eye ring looks more pronounced here than in my book, and the white patch below the throat isn't in my book. But the Clay-colored Robin shows as a South Texas bird, which might fit the geographic range (I'm not sure where Pharr is, and don't have a map handy).

I looked at that and said, "That's a thrush!" (the stripy chin and the tail and the general "thrushiness"). I have heard of white-throated thrushes, so I googled that, and I think that's what it is. I've never seen one, though.

The closest thing I can find is a Grayson's Thrush, which my Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America describes as having "greyish olive-brown back, pale cinnamon wash to sides". Though I could believe White-throated Thrush, too; none of the illustrations in my guide show a bird that looks quite like that, but the text describes it as variable, with the darker varieties tending to be toward the south, from which I assume the lighter ones (which this would be) being toward the north.

I don't consider birds not in Sibley to be "real" mystery birds for the purposes of my personal obsession, so I'm going to leave this as Grayson's Thrush, and won't agonize over it if I'm wrong.

I am going with White-throated Thrush. The obvious eye-ring and white patch on the throat stand out. Also the head looks fairly dark to dark for a Clay-colored Robin. Beautiful picture.

Clearly a White-bibbed Thrush (Catharus lecuobibbous). Prominent eye ring, slightly hooked, dark, upper mandible with light-colored lower mandible, striped below the lower mandible, white bib.

Howell and Webb call the contrasting white forecollar of the White-throated Thrush distinctive. More on this bird can be found at http://www.narba.org/index.cfm/act/newsletter.cfm/category/Field/menuit…

The location is a great clue. Allen's yard is a magnet for rare birds.

Bert Frenz and other RV birders are in the Patzcuaro, Michoacan area of Mexico for two days. We saw several White-throated thrushes at Arroyo Frio Balneario near Pedernales today. If you´re ever in the area and want to see one, let me know.