Females bring food to the nest less frequently than males, but as brood size increases, the amount of female feeding also increases. The breeding range is composed of deciduous and mixed forests, especially well-developed upland forests. H. mustelina usually uses trees greater than 16m tall in areas of moderate canopy cover and shrub density with a fairly open forest floor, moist soil, and leaf litter. Substrate moisture is more important than canopy cover or access to running water. Lower reproductive success may be due to forest fragmentation because H. mustelina tend to be area sensitive.
Wood Thrushes are significantly less abundant in fragmented areas bordered by roads and power lines.
Forest fragmentation in winter habitat may also be a threat to species viability. Nesting success is affected by increased predation in smaller forest patches. References Bertin, R. A. 1977. Breeding Habitats of the Wood Thrush and Veery. Hoover, J. P. and M.C. Brittingham.