The breeding range of the brown thrasher includes most of the eastern U.S. east of the Rocky Mountains and as far north as southern Canada. Thickets, brush, shrubbery, thorn scrub. [31] Thrashers spend most of their time on ground level or near it. You have to admit that “the Thrashers” is a cool name for a sports team! Identification. American robin. Brown Thrashers wear a somewhat severe expression thanks to their heavy, slightly downcurved bill and staring yellow eyes, and they are the only thrasher species east of Texas. Mimics other species in its song, delivering a complex string of paired phrases. Spread the word. Home. [71] Northern cardinals and grey catbirds are also major competitors for thrashers in terms of territorial gain. Nine to thirteen days after hatching, the nestlings begin to fledge. call. The Brown Thrasher is a versatile eater, they will eat ground-dwelling insects (often found beneath dead leaves), wild nuts/seeds, and wild fruit. Legal Notices Privacy Policy Contact Us. Its long, rufous tail is rounded with paler corners, and eyes are a brilliant yellow. It prefers to live in woodland edges, thickets and dense brush,[20] often searching for food in dry leaves on the ground. It's common enough, but it tends to hang out in dense thickets and brush where it's difficult to see anything, let alone a bird that doesn't want to be seen. Outside Texas the Brown Thrasher is a fairly common breeding bird in eastern North America. A brown thrasher moves its long bill back and forth through a pile of leaves like a broom sweeping the floor. Both parents incubate and feed the young, with the female doing most of the incubating. Lives of North American Birds. Migratory species that zip through the woods for insects are more likely to crash, researchers find—a vulnerability that may be speeding their decline. Search. [14] As an adult, the brown thrasher has an array of sounds it will make in various situations. Permanent resident in parts of south; mostly migratory in north, but small numbers may remain far north around feeders or in thickets with many berries. But they are keeping the Gray Catbirds away. [32] The brown thrasher has been noted for having an aggressive behavior,[33] and is a staunch defender of its nest. [53][54] Both sexes will take part in nest building once mates find each other, and will mate after the nest is completed. The brown thrasher also was the inspiration for the name of Atlanta's former National Hockey League team, the Atlanta Thrashers. Adult brown thrashers average about 25 to 29 cm (10 to 11.5 inches) in length. From shop FlashbackFinds. [14] The juvenile appearance of the brown thrasher from the adult is not remarkably different, except for plumage texture, indiscreet upper part markings, and the irises having an olive color. Rich rufous upperparts and heavy dark streaking on whitish underparts. Nearly a foot long, the brown thrasher is a strong and handsome bird, equally at home in woodland edges or shrubby backyards. Leaves scatter into the air as the bird pokes into the soil and finds a small beetle to eat. Because of this, it is often confused with the smaller wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), among other species. There is beauty in randomness. Similar to other thrasher species, this bird is a skulker and is most often found in dense bush. Photographed on The Brown Thrasher is also the largest bird whose nests are parasitized by the brown-headed cowbird (Georgia Nongame Endangered Wildlife Program). The Mockingbird is more common in the mid-south and on down to the gulf and Mexican … Our email newsletter shares the latest programs and initiatives. [7] The name misconception could be because the word thrasher is believed to derive from the word thrush. [66] Brown thrashers are noted for their mimicry (as a member of the family Mimidae), but they are not as diverse in this category as their relative the northern mockingbird. Males will sing gentler as they sight a female, and this enacts the female to grab a twig or leaf and present it to the male, with flapping wings and chirping sounds. "Brown Thrasher in Dorset: a species new to Britain and Ireland", "Breeding Biology and Behavior of the Brown Thrasher, (, "Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird and Brown Thrasher". Among its other features are orange brown upper parts, dark wings with two white bands, and a long curved bill. Sometimes it forages boldly on open lawns; more often it scoots into dense cover at any disturbance, hiding among the briar tangles and making loud crackling callnotes. [10], Genetic studies have found that the brown thrasher is most closely related to the long-billed and Cozumel thrashers (T. longirostre & guttatum), within the genus Toxostoma. Will crack open acorns by pounding them with its bill. I thought I'd send a picture of the 2 Brown Thrasher birds I wrote about a week ago. [14] The brown thrasher forages in a similar method to the long-billed thrasher and Bendire's thrasher (T. longirostre & bendirei), picking food off the ground and under leaf litter, whereas thrashers with sharply decurved bills are more likely to dig into the ground to obtain food. Brown Thrasher bird in Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina. Its bill is brownish, long, and curves downward. [76] Among the identified avian predators of adults are Cooper's hawks (Accipiter cooperii),[77] northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis),[78] broad-winged hawks (Buteo platypterus),[79] merlins (Falco columbarius),[80] peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus),[81] eastern screech-owls (Megascops asio),[82] great horned owls (Bubo virginianus)[83] barred owls (Strix varia)[84] and long-eared owls (Asio otus).