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All About Birds

Brown Thrasher

Overview
ID Info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Brown Thrasher Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

© Benjamin Clock | Macaulay Library New York, May 30, 2011

Song
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Florida, May 11, 1994Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller | Macaulay Library
Calls
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Florida, September 20, 1988Recorded by Oliver H. Hewitt | Macaulay Library
Calls
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Maryland, April 22, 1999Recorded by Wil Hershberger | Macaulay Library
Calls
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Maryland, April 13, 1997Recorded by Wil Hershberger | Macaulay Library
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New York, July 03, 2005Recorded by Curtis Marantz | Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Songs

Brown Thrashers, like catbirds and mockingbirds, are mimics with extremely varied repertoires consisting of more than 1,100 song types. The male sings a loud, long series of doubled phrases with no definite beginning or end, described by some people as “plant a seed, plant a seed, bury it, bury it, cover it up, cover it up, let it grow, let it grow, pull it up, pull it up, eat it, eat it.” While mockingbirds tend to repeat phrases three or more times, Brown Thrashers typically sing phrases only twice before moving on. They include somewhat crude imitations of other species in their songs, including Chuck-will’s-widow, Northern Flicker, White-eyed Vireo, Tufted Titmouse, Wood Thrush, and Northern Cardinal.

Calls

Their calls consist of one to a few repeated notes, the most common of which sounds like a smacking kiss. Other calls include harsh, slurred, whistles, soft chirrups, and hissing sounds.

Compare with Similar Species

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Long-billed Thrasher

Northern Cardinal

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Species in This Family

Mockingbirds and Thrashers(Order: Passeriformes, Family:Mimidae)

Curve-billed Thrasher

Long-billed Thrasher

Bendire's Thrasher

California Thrasher

LeConte's Thrasher

Crissal Thrasher

Northern Mockingbird

Browse Species in This Family

More to Read

Which birds are the best mimics?
Living Bird Magazine
Mockingbirds Can Learn Hundreds of Songs, But There's a Limit
Bird Academy
Everything You Need to Know About Bird Song

NestWatch
Common Nesting Birds
The Best Ways To Attract More Songbirds To Your Property
Bird ID Skills: How to Learn Bird Songs and Calls

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