It’s beautiful, ethereal: When we hear the sound of the Swainson’s thrush in the Pacific Northwest’s woods, we know our summer is truly here. Our bird is back, with its signature song gracing our long, summer twilights.

And yet, this is not really “our” bird at all. It is a bird of two worlds. Arriving here by late May for its mating season, the Swainson’s thrush is gone by the end of September to its overwintering grounds, as far south as Central and South America.

Like all long-distance migrants, it faces a perilous journey.

For this is a bird that must contend with the combined effects of changes throughout its range, including loss of habitat to development, logging, agriculture and climate change.

The Swainson’s thrush has declined along parts of the Pacific Coast and elsewhere, a

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