California Thrasher

Toxostoma redivivumOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Mockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae)

Breeding Location:

Forest edge, Bushes, shrubs, and thickets, Desert, Desert, semi, Scrub vegetation areas

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Widespread

Egg Color:

Pale blue with faint light brown spots

Number of Eggs:

2 - 4

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Grass-lined with roots and twigs.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

Overview

California Thrasher: Large, slender thrasher with dark brown upperparts and paler gray-brown underparts. Face is finely streaked, eyes are dark, and black bill is very long and down curved. Throat has small buff patch. Tail is long with reddish-brown undertail coverts. Legs and feet are gray-brown.

Range and Habitat

California Thrasher: Resident in California west of Sierra Nevada. Preferred habitats include chaparral, foothills, and dense shrubs in parks or gardens.

Breeding and Nesting

California Thrasher: Two to four pale blue eggs with light brown spots, are laid in a bowl-shaped nest made of sticks and roots, lined with finer materials, and built in a shrub. Eggs are incubated for approximately 14 days by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

California Thrasher: Diet consists of insects, spiders, seeds of berries, hazelnuts, weeds, and small fruits; forages by digging in soil and turning over leaves with its bill.

Readily Eats

Suet, Sunflower Seed, Nuts

Vocalization

California Thrasher: Expert mimic. Call is a low harsh "chuck" or throaty "quip."

Similar Species

California Thrasher: Crissal Thrasher is darker behind eye, paler cheeks and more rust-brown on undertail coverts. Le Conte's Thrasher is paler overall and lacks pale area behind eye and dark cheeks.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

California Thrasher

● Song: "chuck", "chur-erp"

● Foraging & Feeding: California Thrasher: Diet consists of insects, spiders, seeds of berries, hazelnuts, weeds, and small fruits; forages by digging in soil and turning over leaves with its bill.

● Breeding & nesting: California Thrasher: Two to four pale blue eggs with light brown spots, are laid in a bowl-shaped nest made of sticks and roots, lined with finer materials, and built in a shrub. Eggs are incubated for approximately 14 days by both parents.

● Similar species: California Thrasher: Crissal Thrasher is darker behind eye, paler cheeks and more rust-brown on undertail coverts. Le Conte's Thrasher is paler overall and lacks pale area behind eye and dark cheeks.

Flight Pattern

Long flights on swift, shallow wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: California Thrasher: Resident in California west of Sierra Nevada. Preferred habitats include chaparral, foothills, and dense shrubs in parks or gardens.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationWidespread

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight3 Ounces

Field Guide to Birds of North America