California Thrasher Identification

California Thrasher

Large, long-tailed songbird with a long curved bill. Brownish above and brownish to peachy below depending on lighting conditions. Often runs along the ground with a raised tail.

© Joan Tisdale | Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, August 02, 2017
California Thrasher

Forages primarily on the ground by tossing its long bill in arcs to uncover insects buried in leaf and ground litter. Note long, downward curved bill, white throat, and dark eye.

© Paul Fenwick | Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, September 20, 2016
California Thrasher

Song is a long series of warbled, variable phrases, some musical and others harsh; each element may be repeated once or twice.

© Brian Sullivan | Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, January 03, 2011
California Thrasher

Large and long-tailed songbird with a long curved bill. Brown above with a white throat and pale peachy washed underparts.

© Luke Seitz | Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 09, 2017
California Thrasher

Sings almost year-round from the tops of shrubs.

© Peter Hawrylyshyn | Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, June 09, 2017
California Thrasher

© Brian Sullivan | Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, January 03, 2011
California Thrasher

Found in lowland and coastal chaparral, riparian woodland thickets, and parks and gardens with dense shrubs.

© Kris Ohlenkamp | Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, May 10, 2017
California Thrasher

© Timothy Barksdale | Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, February 01, 1997
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The Four Keys to ID

  • Size & Shape

    A large, lanky songbird with a very long tail and long legs. The bill is very long and strongly curved. It has wide wings.

    Relative Size

    Larger than a Northern Mockingbird, smaller than a Yellow-billed Magpie.

    Relative Sizerobin sizedrobin-sized
    Measurements
    • Both Sexes
      • Length: 12.6 in (32 cm)
      • Weight: 2.8-3.3 oz (78-93 g)
      • Wingspan: 12.2 in (31 cm)

Regional Differences

Ornithologists recognize two subspecies: redivivum, found from Baja California north to southern Santa Cruz and Placer Counties, and sonomae, found from northern Santa Cruz and El Dorado Counties northward. These differ in the richness of plumage: the southerly redivivum is paler, more a grayish brown above, with buffy undertail coverts and a grayish throat, whereas the northern sonomae is a rich brown above, with almost chestnut undertail coverts and a buffy throat.