Curve-billed Thrasher Identification

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The Four Keys to ID

  • Size & Shape

    A lanky songbird with a long, curved bill, long tail, and thick legs, recalling a mockingbird but bulkier and with a different bill.

    Relative Size

    Slightly larger than an American Robin, smaller than a Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay.

    Relative Sizerobin sizedrobin-sized
    Measurements
    • Both Sexes
      • Length: 10.6-11.0 in (27-28 cm)
      • Weight: 2.1-3.3 oz (60.8-93.6 g)
      • Wingspan: 13.4-13.6 in (34-34.5 cm)

Regional Differences

Curve-billed Thrashers from the Sonoran Desert (known as the palmeri group) have grayer chests with very indistinct spots and dull wingbars, whereas the curvirostre group of the Chihuahuan Desert has more distinct spots on a paler breast, with whitish wingbars and more white in the outer tail feathers.

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