Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 7.9–9.1 in
20–23 cm - Wingspan
- 12.6 in
32 cm - Weight
- 1.4–1.8 oz
40–50 g
Other Names
- Moqueur des armoises (French)
Cool Facts
- Typical of thrashers, the Sage Thrasher is elusive when disturbed, frequently running on the ground rather than taking flight.
- Some genetic studies suggest that the Sage Thrasher is more closely related to mockingbirds than true thrashers.
Habitat
Scrub
Sagebrush plains, in migration and winter also arid scrub, brush and thickets, primarily in arid or semi-arid situations, rarely around towns.
Food
Insects
Insects and berries.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–5 eggs
- Egg Description
- Deep blue or greenish blue with large spots or blotches.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless.
Nest Description
Cup of twigs lined with grasses, rootlets, or hair. Sometimes with canopy over top of nest. Placed in sagebrush, other shrub, or on ground.
Nest Placement
Shrub
Behavior
Ground Forager
Captures insects on ground.
Conservation
Least Concern
Relatively common. May be declining in some areas, but is doing well in some places where other sagebrush-dependent species are declining.
Credits
- Reynolds, T. D., T. D. Rich, and D. A. Stephens. 1999. Sage Thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus). In The Birds of North America, No. 463 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.