Brown Thrasher

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 last spring in 2008 among the gnome grouping was a huge surprise. It's beautiful cinnamon color was like no other bird that had so far 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.

brown thrasher4

Since we didn't see him for several weeks after that, we thought 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. My 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

Brown Thrasher

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