Wood Thrushes breed throughout mature deciduous and mixed forests in eastern North America, most commonly those with American beech, sweet gum, red maple, black gum, eastern hemlock, flowering dogwood, American hornbeam, oaks, or pines. They nest somewhat less successfully in fragmented forests and even suburban parks where there are enough large trees for a territory. Ideal habitat includes trees over 50 feet tall, a moderate understory of saplings and shrubs, an open floor with moist soil and decaying leaf litter, and water nearby. Favored understory species include southern arrowwood, smooth blackhaw, spicebush, coast pepperbush, rhododendron, and blueberry. In their winter range, they are most abundant in the interior of mature, shady, broad-leaved and palm tropical forests in lowlands. As in their temperate range, they will also inhabit forest edges and the denser understory of second-growth forests.

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