Delaware · Summer breeder

Wood Thrushs in Delaware

When wood thrushes are present in Delaware, when they nest, which native Delaware plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 7a–8a yard.

Thrushes (Turdidae)Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina

Status in Delaware: Summer breeder
Nesting window: May–July
Broods: 1–2 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 7a–8a

When to expect wood thrushes in Delaware

Wood Thrushs are summer residents in Delaware, arriving shortly before nesting begins in May and leaving after the young are independent. Through the season they feed on beetles, ants and caterpillars.

Humid subtropical to temperate coastal plain between Delaware Bay and the Atlantic.

Nesting in Delaware

Across Delaware, wood thrushes typically nest from May–July. Nest site: mud-lined cup in understory saplings. Females lay 3–4 eggs, incubate for 11–14 days, and young leave the nest after 12–15 days.

Hot, humid summers; bay-shore woodlots are important migrant stopovers in May.

Wood Thrushs don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as flowering dogwood, eastern red cedar, serviceberry for nest sites.
Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after July.

Native Delaware plants that attract wood thrushes

Of the regional native plants we track for Delaware, these 8 provide food or cover wood thrushes use:

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida · Tree

Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.

Eastern red cedar

Juniperus virginiana · Tree

Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea · Tree

Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.

Winterberry

Ilex verticillata · Shrub

Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter.

Staghorn sumac

Rhus typhina · Shrub

Fruit clusters persist all winter as emergency food.

Smooth sumac

Rhus glabra · Shrub

Red fruit heads hang on through winter.

White oak

Quercus alba · Tree

Acorns plus hundreds of caterpillar species for nestling food.

Black cherry

Prunus serotina · Tree

Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.

Feeding wood thrushes through the Delaware year

Needs shady, moist woodland with leaf litter; declining by more than half since 1966.

Best foods: .
In Delaware's summer: offer water and insect foods; natural food is abundant.

Full diet breakdown for wood thrushes · Best feeder for wood thrushes

Frequently asked

Are wood thrushes in Delaware year-round?

No. Wood Thrushs are summer breeders in Delaware and leave for the winter.

When do wood thrushes nest in Delaware?

Nesting in Delaware typically runs May–July, with 1–2 per season. Clutches are 3–4 eggs, incubated for 11–14 days.

What native plants attract wood thrushes in Delaware?

Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Winterberry, Staghorn sumac, Smooth sumac, White oak, Black cherry are native plants in Delaware that provide food or cover for wood thrushes.

Other backyard birds in Delaware

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Carolina Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Pine Siskin Indigo Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling White-crowned Sparrow Fox Sparrow

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.