Bendire's Thrasher Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A medium-sized, lanky songbird with a long tail, a fairly long, slightly curved bill, and strong legs.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Sage Thrasher, smaller than a Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay.

  robin-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 9.1-9.8 in (23-25 cm)
    • Weight: 2.1 oz (60 g)

• Color Pattern

  A mousy brown bird with paler underparts and indistinct spotting on the breast. The undertail coverts are buffy, and the tail feathers have grayish tips. Later in the year, the plumage becomes worn and individuals appear more uniformly gray-brown or buffy brown below. The base of the lower mandible is usually pale grayish.

• Behavior

  Forages on the ground by probing into the earth or overturning vegetation and rocks with the bill, uncovering insects and other arthropods. Captures prey with a swift peck, or uses the strong bill to pull insects out of crevices or the ground. Also eats seeds and berries. More likely to fly away from an observer than larger thrashers in the same habitat, which tend to run away.

• Habitat

  Deserts, grasslands, and shrublands from near sea level up to 6,000 feet elevation, usually in areas with few, scattered trees.