Michigan · Summer breeder

Wood Thrushs in Michigan

When wood thrushes are present in Michigan, when they nest, which native Michigan plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 4a–6b yard.

Thrushes (Turdidae)Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina

Status in Michigan: Summer breeder
Nesting window: May–July
Broods: 1–2 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 4a–6b

When to expect wood thrushes in Michigan

Wood Thrushs are summer residents in Michigan, 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 continental, strongly shaped by the Great Lakes; colder and snowier in the Upper Peninsula.

Nesting in Michigan

Across Michigan, 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.

A compressed nesting season; bluebirds usually manage one or two broods.

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

Native Michigan plants that attract wood thrushes

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

Winterberry

Ilex verticillata · Shrub

Winter fruit.

Eastern hemlock

Tsuga canadensis · Tree

Seeds and dense winter shelter.

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.

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.

Feeding wood thrushes through the Michigan year

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

Best foods: .
In Michigan'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 Michigan year-round?

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

When do wood thrushes nest in Michigan?

Nesting in Michigan 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 Michigan?

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

Other backyard birds in Michigan

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Black-capped Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird 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 Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Common Redpoll Indigo Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird 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 Canada Jay Eurasian Collared-Dove

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.