Varied Thrush

Look for this ground-foraging thrush hopping through the leaf litter of damp coniferous and mixed forest along the Pacific coast, pausing between short runs to flip leaves for insects and fall berries. Its voice carries further than its shy, retreating habits do: a single eerie, buzzy whistle held on one pitch, often the first clue it is nearby well before it shows itself. Late fall through winter is the easiest window, when birds move to lower elevations and garden feeders along the West Coast, sometimes turning up well east of the usual range.