Identification - This thrush is between a sparrow and a robin in size. It belongs to the brown-backed thrush group and is the only one with a reddish or rufous tail, which it often flicks upwards and slowly lowers. The eye ring is thin and whitish. The bird's back and wings are olive-brown or gray brown. Its underparts are spotted, with the spots concentrated on the breast.
Morsels - The Hermit Thrush, like many songbirds, sometimes engage in an odd activity called 'anting'. Birds seize ants and place them in their feathers. They may also crush the ants and rub the juices on their feathers or dust themselves on ant hills. Scientists speculate that formic acid from the ants acts as an insecticide to combat skin and feather parasites.
