California Thrasher Identification

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.

  robin-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)

  © Joan Tisdale / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Brown to grayish brown overall with a pale throat and a buffy or rusty patch under the tail.

• Behavior

  Forages singly or in pairs on the ground, tossing aside leaf litter with bill to expose insects and other invertebrates. Also eats berries. Males perch prominently and sing from roughly November through July and are sometimes joined in song by the female.
• Habitat

  Nests and forages in chaparral of coastal and foothill areas, as well as in nearby areas with junipers, pines, and oaks with plenty of underbrush, including sagebrush.