Bendire's Thrasher

Toxostoma bendireiOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Mockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae)

Codes: Common Name: BETH Scientific Name: TOXBEN ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178636

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Overview

Bendire's Thrasher: Medium thrasher with olive-brown upperparts, spotted buff underparts. Bill is short, gray and slightly decurved with pale pink lower mandible base. Eyes are yellow-orange. Tail is long, olive-brown above, black with white tips below, and has brown undertail coverts.

Range and Habitat

Bendire's Thrasher: Breeds in southeastern California, southern Nevada, southern Utah, southern Colorado, and western and central New Mexico south to central Sonora. Spends winters in northwestern Mexico. Preferred habitats include semi-desert and desert areas, with large shrubs or cacti and open ground, and open woodlands with scattered shrubs and trees.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"chek" ,"chek-chek"

Interesting Facts

The Bendire's Thrasher was first identified in 1872 by U.S. Army Lieutenant Charles Bendire. It was the last of the thrashers to be described in North America because it is so similar to other thrashers in its range.

Prefers deserts less than 1800m in elevation, and can inhabit areas around human habitation and agriculture if Curve-billed Thrashers are absent.

They fly from bush to bush, whereas other desert thrashers almost never fly.

Bird Term Glossary

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Bendire's Thrasher

● Song: "chek" ,"chek-chek"

● Foraging & Feeding: Bendire's Thrasher: Eats primarily insects but also takes some fruits; forages on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Bendire's Thrasher: Three to five brown-marked, green to gray green eggs are laid in a cup nest made of sticks and lined with leaves, grass, pieces of fabric, rootlets, and other fine materials. Nest is built 3 to 5 feet above the ground in a shrub, small tree, or cactus. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Bendire's Thrasher: Curve-billed Thrasher is larger and bulkier, with larger bill, brighter orange eyes, and different call.

Flight Pattern

Swift flight on rapidly beating wings alternating with brief periods of wings pulled to sides.

Bendire's Thrasher Fresh Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Bendire's Thrasher: Breeds in southeastern California, southern Nevada, southern Utah, southern Colorado, and western and central New Mexico south to central Sonora. Spends winters in northwestern Mexico. Preferred habitats include semi-desert and desert areas, with large shrubs or cacti and open ground, and open woodlands with scattered shrubs and trees.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationFairly common

^MigrationNorthern birds migrate

^Weight2.2 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Undertail coverts

Small feathers that cover the areas where the retrices (tail feathers) attach to the rump.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Lower mandible

The lower part of the bill.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America