Clay-Colored Thrush
Turdus grayi

Formerly called the Clay-Colored Robin, this bird’s historic range has been in eastern Mexico and south through Central America and northern South America. In recent years, it has expanded its range into southern Texas. The Clay-Colored Thrush is resident throughout its range (it does not migrate). Folks in Costa Rica have made this bird their national symbol, even though there are many more colorful birds in that country. For them, it is a confiding and much loved yard bird.
Science recognises six subspecies of Clay-Colored Thrush:
- T.g. tamaulipensis lives in eastern Mexico, from Tamaulipas south to the Yucatan Peninsula.
- T.g. microrhynchus lives in the Mexican interior at an elevation of about 5,500 feet.
- T.g. grayi lives in southern Mexico and northern Central America.
- T.g. megas lives in Central America from Guatemala to Nicaragua.
- T.g. casius lives in Costa Rica and south to the Andes.
- T.g. incomptus lives in coastal northern Colombia.
The birds I met in south Texas were members of the T.g. tamaulipensis clan. I met my first Clay-Colored Thrush during the initial period of the Covid-19 pandemic, while I was staying in Brownsville (Texas) at an RV camp. This bird was a regular visitor there. When I returned to Texas in the spring of 2021, I met more of these birds at Resaca de la Palma, and at the National Butterfly Center in Mission Texas.

Clay-Colored Thrush(Turdus grayi) |
Description: Resaca de las Palmas in Brownsville, Texas opened to the public a few days before I left Texas on my 2020 expedition. Clay-Colored Thrushes proved rather camera-shy during this visit. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:29 11:29 |
Location:
Resaca de las Palmas |
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/200 |
File Name: ClayColoredThrush_D509365-Resaca-de-las-Palmas |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Clay-Colored Thrush(Turdus grayi) |
Description: Resaca de las Palmas in Brownsville, Texas opened to the public a few days before I left Texas on my 2020 expedition. Clay-Colored Thrushes proved rather camera-shy during this visit. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:29 11:32 |
Location:
Resaca de las Palmas |
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: ClayColoredThrush_D509379-Resaca-de-las-Palmas |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Clay-Colored Thrush(Turdus grayi) |
Description: Resaca de las Palmas in Brownsville, Texas opened to the public a few days before I left Texas on my 2020 expedition. Clay-Colored Thrushes proved rather camera-shy during this visit. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:29 11:33 |
Location:
Resaca de las Palmas |
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: ClayColoredThrush_D509388-Resaca-de-las-Palmas |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Clay-Colored Thrush(Turdus grayi) |
Description: The ID on this bird was tricky for me, and I struggled, but The Clay-Colored Thrush (or Robin) finally came clear to me. I found these birds at a well stocked feeder in camp where I stayed in Brownsville Texas. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:17 16:06 |
Location:
Breeze Lake |
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: ClayColoredThrush_D503353-Breeze-Lake-TX |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Clay-Colored Thrush(Turdus grayi) |
Description: The ID on this bird was tricky for me, and I struggled, but The Clay-Colored Thrush (or Robin) finally came clear to me. I found these birds at a well stocked feeder in camp where I stayed in Brownsville Texas. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:17 16:06 |
Location:
Breeze Lake |
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: ClayColoredThrush_D503358-Breeze-Lake-TX |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Clay-Colored Thrush(Turdus grayi) |
Description: The ID on this bird was tricky for me, and I struggled, but The Clay-Colored Thrush (or Robin) finally came clear to me. I found these birds at a well stocked feeder in camp where I stayed in Brownsville Texas. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:17 16:06 |
Location:
Breeze Lake |
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: ClayColoredThrush_D503362-Breeze-Lake-TX |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Clay-Colored Thrush(Turdus grayi) |
Description: I met this species last year, but these were the first I could photograph on my 2021 Texas Expedition. Before leaving the Lower Rio Grande Valley and travelling west, I stopped at the National Butterfly Center in Mission to see friends there. |
Date Taken: 2021:05:09 17:47 |
Location:
National Butterfly Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3000 |
File Name: ClayColoredThrush_D5X7800_NationalButterflyCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Clay-Colored Thrush(Turdus grayi) |
Description: I met this species last year, but these were the first I could photograph on my 2021 Texas Expedition. Before leaving the Lower Rio Grande Valley and travelling west, I stopped at the National Butterfly Center in Mission to see friends there. |
Date Taken: 2021:05:09 17:52 |
Location:
National Butterfly Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: ClayColoredThrush_D5X7803_NationalButterflyCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Clay-Colored Thrush(Turdus grayi) |
Description: I met this species last year, but these were the first I could photograph on my 2021 Texas Expedition. Before leaving the Lower Rio Grande Valley and travelling west, I stopped at the National Butterfly Center in Mission to see friends there. |
Date Taken: 2021:05:09 17:55 |
Location:
National Butterfly Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3000 |
File Name: ClayColoredThrush_D5X7814_NationalButterflyCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Clay-Colored Thrush(Turdus grayi) |
Description: I met this species last year, but these were the first I could photograph on my 2021 Texas Expedition. Before leaving the Lower Rio Grande Valley and travelling west, I stopped at the National Butterfly Center in Mission to see friends there. |
Date Taken: 2021:05:09 17:56 |
Location:
National Butterfly Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: ClayColoredThrush_D5X7841_NationalButterflyCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |

Click map markers to reveal further information