Song thrush "thrush." Mavis (Μαβής) can also mean "purple" in Greek. A recent molecular study indicates that the song thrush's closest relatives are the similarly plumaged mistle thrush ("T. viscivorus") and Chinese thrush ("T. mupinensis"); these three species are early offshoots from the lineage of "Turdus" thrushes before they diversified and spread across the globe, and hence are less closely related to other European thrush species such as the blackbird ("T. merula"). The song thrush has three subspecies, with the nominate subspecies, "T. p. philomelos", covering the majority of the species' range. "T. p. hebridensis", described by British ornithologist William Eagle Clarke
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;