Thrushes are a family of songbirds characterized by their melodious songs. Some thrush species do indeed produce songs that resemble the sound of a flute. Quick answer: The hermit thrush and wood thrush are two thrush species whose beautiful, flute-like vocalizations have captured the attention of poets, writers, and nature enthusiasts for centuries. The unique, cascading songs of these birds have inspired musical works and poems praising their idyllic, woodland voices.
The hermit thrush and wood thrush belong to the genus Catharus, a group of American thrushes prized for their musical abilities. Below we explore the flute-like songs of these two Catharus thrushes in more detail, looking at their vocal structure, how they produce such sounds, and why their songs evoke comparisons to wind instruments and flowing water. Understanding the serene, flute-like quality of the hermit thrush and wood thrush illustrates why their songs have inspired human creativity across so many artforms.
The Hermit Thrush
The hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus) is a medium-sized North American thrush. This shy forest bird has a slender body with a reddish-brown back, white underparts with black speckles, and a spotted breast. The hermit thrush breeds across Canada and the northern parts of the United States. In winter, it migrates to the southern United States and Central America.
The hermit thrush is legendary for its enchanting, ethereal song. The first pure, whistled notes ascend in pitch and then cascade downward, fading away delicately at the end. The overall effect is a serene, cascading melody – leading to frequent comparisons of the hermit thrush’s song to a flute.
The noted American ornithologist Edward Forbush described the hermit thrush’s song as “the finest sound in nature,” often heard in dense woods at twilight. Poet Walt Whitman celebrated the bird’s “song of the bleeding throat” in his 1865 poem ‘When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d,’ memorializing the death of President Abraham Lincoln. Whitman uses the hermit thrush as a melancholy symbol recalling the fallen leader.
What accounts for this unique, fluted vocalization that has inspired so much creativity? The hermit thrush, like other songbirds, has a specialized vocal organ called the syrinx located near the bronchi of the trachea. The syrinx allows songbirds to make two sounds simultaneously from each side of their trachea. Muscles surrounding the syrinx control pitch and volume.
The hermit thrush uses its syrinx to produce a cascading melody by starting each note at a very high pitch and rapidly lowering the pitch through skillful muscle control over its syrinx. This creates a clear, descending, ethereal series of notes. The tonal, flute-like quality results from the lack of overtones or harmonics in the whistled notes.
The Wood Thrush
The wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) is another North American thrush famed for its beautiful, flute-like song. This medium-sized thrush has brown upperparts, white underparts with bold black spots, and a white eye ring. It breeds across eastern North America and migrates to Central America for winter.
The wood thrush delivers a song structured into phrases beginning with a few clear, flute-like notes that cascade downward in pitch into a jumbled series of lower, bell-like notes. The opening notes have an uplifting, melodious quality while the ending phrases sound like bells or chimes ringing.
The writer Henry David Thoreau was inspired to praise the wood thrush in his 1854 Walden, “Whenever a man hears it he is young, and Nature is in her spring. . . the silver living sound which the woods make.” Here the wood thrush’s song reminds Thoreau of the renewal and freshness of spring.
As with the hermit thrush, the wood thrush relies on its syrinx to produce this fluted vocalization. The initial notes are made by vibrating sides of the syrinx alternately to generate clear, pure tones. The ending messy chimes are created by vibrating both sides of the syrinx at once to generate harmonics and overtones. This mixing creates the metallic, bell-like effect as if ringing a chord on a piano.
Water Comparisons
The songs of the hermit thrush and wood thrush are often compared to the sound of water in nature. The cascades, gurgles, and drips of small forest streams evoke the descending pitches of these birds’ flute-like songs. Specifically, the hermit thrush’s song has been described as the sound of a brook flowing down a mountainside. Analyses have shown that both birds’ songs follow a similar sine wave structure to the sounds made by dripping water and mountain streams. This adds to the serene, watery comparisons inspired by these birds’ vocalizations.
Conclusion
The hermit thrush and wood thrush produce some of the most beautiful bird songs in North America. The flute-like, cascading songs of these Catharus thrushes have inspired poets, writers, and musicians who praise the idyllic, serene music of these forest birds. Through skillful manipulation of their syrinx, these thrushes create harmonic, melodious notes that fade softly like a flute. Comparisons to brooks and dripping water add to the tranquil, musical quality. The songs of the hermit thrush and wood thrush exemplify the artistic creativity found in nature, and how poetic analogies help us understand the meaning behind the voices of their avian composers.