Song thrush "Turdus", is the Latin for "thrush", and the specific epithet refers to a character in Greek mythology, Philomela, who had her tongue cut out, but was changed into a singing bird. Her name is derived from the Ancient Greek "Φιλο" "philo-" ("loving"), and "μέλος" "melos" ("song"). The dialect names "throstle" and "mavis" both mean "thrush", being related to the German "drossel" and French "mauvis" respectively. "Throstle" dates back to at least the fourteenth century and was used by Chaucer in the "Parliament of Fowls". Mavis is derived via Middle English "mavys" and Old French "mauvis" from Middle Breton "milhuyt" meaning
Swainson's thrush Swainson's thrush Swainson's thrush ("Catharus ustulatus"), also called olive-backed thrush, is a medium-sized thrush. It is a member of genus "Catharus" and is typical of it in terms of its subdued coloration and beautiful voice. Swainson's thrush was named after William Swainson, an English ornithologist. The genus name "Catharus" comes from the Ancient Greek "katharos", "pure or clean" and refers to the plumage of the orange-billed nightingale-thrush "C. aurantiirostris". The specific "ustuatus" is Latin for "burnt", from "urere", "to burn". The breeding habitat of Swainson's thrush is coniferous woods with dense undergrowth across Canada, Alaska, and the northern United States;