THRASHERS

Brown Thrasher

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Toxostoma rufum

The Brown Thrasher is a bird in the family Mimidae, which also includes the New World catbirds and mockingbirds. It is abundant throughout the eastern and central United States and southern and central Canada, and it is the only thrasher to live primarily east of the Rockies and central Texas.

Adults have a long rounded tail, rather short wings, and prominent, slightly decurved bill. Upperparts are reddish-brown. Underparts are white or buff, heavily streaked with black. The tail is long and reddish-brown. They have two whitish wing bars. Eyes are yellow. Legs and feet are pale brown yellow.
Both sexes are similar and are 9 - 12 inches long with 11.4 - 12.6 wingspan, 61 - 89 grams in weight.
Juveniles have gray or brown eyes, persisting until mid-winter.

CALL: Includes a harsh, dry “tschek”, and a whistling “pitcheree”. A sharp “spuck” and a low “churr”.

SONG: A rich and melodious, individual phrases often repeated 2/3 times. They have one of the larger song repertoires of North America birds. They may sometimes imitate the calls of other birds. A single male can sing more than 1100 song types.

Feeds usually on insects and fruits. 

Breeds in thickets, open woodlands with bushy undergrowth, shelterbelts and copses, riparian areas and suburbs.

Winters in hedgerows, gardens, thickets and brushy woodland edges.

Breeds from Southern Canada to Eastern and Central Texas and Southern Florida, westwards to Southeastern Alberta and Eastern Montana.

Winters from Southern Missouri and Southern New Jersey, southwards to Gulf coast, Eastern and Central Texas and Southern Florida.

Both the male and female build a cup-shaped nest with twigs and line it with grass, fibrous roots, horsehair, sometimes rags and feathers. It is placed in a protected site on the ground, or low in a dense tangle of vines and foliages.

The female lays 3 - 5 pale dull buff color sprinkled with brown eggs. Incubation lasts about 11 - 14 days, by both parents. The chicks are altricial and fledge 9 - 13 days after hatching. Both adults feed the young and brood them until they fledge, and for a short period after fledging.

SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.oiseaux-birds.com