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Brown Thrasher - (Toxostoma rufum)

May 6, 2009 - Another summer visitor stopped by today.  The brown thrasher, whose name ought to be cinnamon  thrasher, hopped into view in the ground feeder area.  He even showed an interest in the cracked corn that was placed in Food Guy's red ground feeder. Then after exploring the ground around it he quickly hopped back in the leaves under the lilac bushes. As usual, because he's a fast mover and he's reluctant to come too close, he makes  photography a challenge. The thrasher part of his name comes from his noisy feeding style of turning vegetation and stones while looking for insects. 


The brown thrasher appearing in the spring of 2008 was a huge surprise.  It's beautiful cinnamon color was like no other bird that had been seen in our yard.  The long tail and the streaked breast made him relatively easy to find in the first bird book we consulted.  The bright yellow eyes clinched the ID.  It took him a while to master how to get suet from the feeder.  How to hang on and how to compete with the hungry, hairy woodpecker became easier with lots of patient practice.  He spent all that day perfecting the task.
After the initial sighting he wasn't seen again for several weeks after that, so it was assumed he had moved on. He and a mate were seen much more frequently from the beginning of May until the first week of July.  In all that time they scurried and scratched on the ground under the feeders. The original hard won suet eating bird may well have just been an adventurous cousin.

Size: Length: 11.5 in
Weight: 2.4 oz Wingspan: 12.5-13 in


ID:

Male: Rusty red above; white to pale buff underparts with heavy, dark streaking; two white wing bars; bright yellow eyes; slightly curved dark bill; long tail
Female: Same as male
Juvenile: has grayish eye color, but otherwise resembles adult


Habitat: Dense shrubs, woodland edges, and thickets


Diet: Insects (especially beetles), fruit and berries; feeds under trees and bushes; ground feeds on mixed seed and millet; noisy feeder due to foraging and tossing over leaves and debris


Family Behavior: Mating Habits:  Monogamous and solitary; 1-2 broods per year; new mate for second brood; returns to established territory each year
Local Breeding Period: Mid-May
Nests:  Cup shaped and made of twigs, weeds and leaves, lined with fine grasses; built on ground, bush or small tree; nesting time, May to June
Eggs: 2-6 white with pale greenish blue tinge and speckled brown and black markings; female and male incubate 11-14 days
Nestlings: Born altricial (helpless, naked, eyes closed) and stay in nest 9-13 days; fed by both parents


Social Activities: Solitary or in pairs; heavily defends territory


Range: Breeding: Eastern and Central US and southern Canada
Winter: Migrates to Southeastern US


Vocalization: Repeats twice musical phrases; mimics songs of neighboring birds; thought to hold the record of all North American birds with more than 1100 different song types; often performs while sitting in low, dense shrubs


Lifespan: Up to 13 years
 


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