Brown thrasher
ExploreToxostoma rufum
Type: bird
Status:
Species Guide
Brown thrasher
Toxostoma rufum
Species Type: bird
Conservation Status:
IDENTIFICATION
The brown thrasher is slightly longer and slimmer than the American robin. It is approximately 11 ½ inches long and sexes look alike. It is bright rufous above and heavily striped (not spotted like thrushes) below. It has light-colored wing bars, a long tail, a curved bill, and yellow eyes. Thrashers are known for their ability to mimic the songs of other bird species.
Distribution & Habitat
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
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. They are year-round residents throughout much of the southeastern U.S. as well as the Atlantic coast as far north as Cape Cod. Additional winter range extends southwestward into central Texas.
Brown thrasher habitat includes dense thickets and shrub areas within deciduous forest clearings and forest edge as well as thorn-scrub areas.
Diet
DIET
Brown thrashers feed on insects and other invertebrates as well as small fruits. They may also feed on some small amphibians and reptiles. They generally feed on or near the ground.
Life Cycle
LIFE CYCLE
The breeding season for the brown thrasher in New Jersey is between mid-April to mid-August. Nests are built by both sexes and are located on the ground under a shrub or as high as about 13 feet in a tree, shrub, or vine. Between 3 to 6 eggs are laid and incubation by both sexes lasts 11-14 days. The young are tended to by both parents and leave the nest in 9-13 days.
Scientific Classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves
- Order: Passeriformes
- Family: Mimidae
- Genus: Toxostoma
- Species: T. rufum