NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Catharus minimus (Lafresnaye, 1848)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The gray-cheeked thrush (Catharus minimus) is a medium-sized thrush. This species is 15–17 cm (5.9–6.7 in) in length, and has the white-dark-white underwing pattern characteristic of Catharus thrushes. It is a member of a close-knit group of migrant species together with the veery and Bicknell's thrush; it forms a cryptic species pair with the latter. The gray-cheeked thrush is all but indistinguishable from Bicknell's thrush except by its slightly larger size and different song. The two were formerly considered conspecific. Of all the American spotted thrushes, the gray-cheeked has the most northern breeding range.
Wikipedia contributors, Gray-cheeked thrush; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:37:34.928607+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Catharus minimus (Lafresnaye, 1848)
- Name authority
- (Lafresnaye, 1848)
- Common name
- Gray-cheeked Thrush
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Catharus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyTurdidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusCatharus Bonaparte, 1850
- speciesCatharus minimus (Lafresnaye, 1848)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Catharus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| VeeryCatharus fuscescens (Stephens, 1817) | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Orange-billed Nightingale-ThrushCatharus aurantiirostris (Hartlaub, 1850) | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus (Pallas, 1811) | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus (Nuttall, 1840) | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Slaty-backed Nightingale-ThrushCatharus fuscater (Lafresnaye, 1845) | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-billed Nightingale-ThrushCatharus gracilirostris Salvin, 1865 | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Russet Nightingale-ThrushCatharus occidentalis P. L. Sclater, 1859 | TurdidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Turdus minimus Lafresnaye, 1848 Lafresnaye, 1848 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China)
North America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=179793 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5XFSC. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.