Traits: Medium-sized bird with a long tail and short, thin bill; gray on back, reddish underneath with black "V" on breast.

Habitat: Conifer and mixed forests; nests in trees, but feeds on the ground.

Foods: Beetles, ants, flies, caterpillars, grasshoppers, spiders, snails, worms, millipedes and other invertebrates; also berries

Eaten by: Hawks, falcons, owls; red squirrels prey on eggs.

Do You Know? The song of the varied thrush sounds like a telephone ringing.