California Thrasher

Toxostoma redivivum

Order PASSERIFORMES - Family MIMIDAE

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

A long-tailed bird of the chaparral, the California Thrasher is found only in California and Baja California.

Cool Facts

• The California Thrasher is the largest of the thrashers.

Description

• Size: 32 cm (13 in)
• Wingspan: 31 cm (12 in)
• Weight: 78-93 g (2.75-3.28 ounces)

• Large, long-tailed songbird.
• Grayish brown all over.
• Long, down-curved bill.
• Reddish brown underside.

• Tail dark with paler gray corners.
• Eyes brown.
• Bill blackish.
• Legs blackish.

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Immature

Similar to adult, but generally duller, with less distinct features and fewer contrasts than in adult.

Similar Species

• Crissal Thrasher is darker and grayer all over, has a black mustache stripe, light eyes, and reddish under the tail.
• Le Conte's Thrasher is paler sandy gray, with the pale belly contrasting with the wash of rusty under the tail.
• Curve-billed Thrasher has faint spotting on the chest and orange eyes.
• California Towhee is similarly colored, but is smaller and has short, thick bill.

Sound

Song is a long series of warbled, variable phrases, some musical and other harsh, which may be repeated once or twice. Call a dry "chak."

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Resident along coastal and inland California southward to northern Baja California.

Habitat

Lowland and coastal chaparral, and riparian woodland thickets. Also parks and gardens.

Food

Insects and fruits.

Behavior

Foraging

Feeds chiefly under cover on the ground by swinging its bill in sideways arcs, digging vigorously and noisily in leaf litter, and peering intently into its excavations.

Reproduction

Nest Type

Robust platform of coarse twigs, lined with roots and fine stems. Well hidden in dense shrubs.

Egg Description

Pale blue with dark spots and blotches; markings may form a ring around the large end or be uniformly distributed over the egg.

Clutch Size

1-6 eggs.

Condition at Hatching

Helpless.

Conservation Status

Relatively common. Loss of habitat to clearing, urban and suburban development, and agriculture constitute the most serious threats to populations.

Other Names

Moqueur de Californie (French)
Cuitlacoche Californiano (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Cody, M. L. 1998. California Thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum). In The Birds of North America, No. 323 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.