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Crissal Thrasher

Toxostoma crissaleOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Mockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae)
Codes: Common Name: CRTH Scientific Name: TOXCRI ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178652
Least Concern
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Crissal Thrasher Breeding Male
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Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

Overview

Crissal Thrasher: Large thrasher with gray-brown upperparts and unstreaked, gray underparts. The throat is white with dark moustache stripe, eyes are yellow, and black bill is long and strongly decurved. Tail is very long with chestnut-brown undertail coverts. Legs and feet are black.


Range and Habitat

Crissal Thrasher: Resident from southern Nevada and southeastern California to western Texas and central Mexico. Preferred habitats include in dense, low scrubby vegetation, such as desert and foothill scrub and riparian brush.

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Topo Map: Perching-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"chideery", "cheeoo-ree-eep", or a "toit-toit-toit"

Interesting Facts

 The Crissal Thrasher is the only thrasher that lays unspotted eggs.

 Their nest is usually built close up under a large branch, making access rather difficult. The location seems to afford protection from both aerial predators and from the direct rays of the sun.

 It walks and runs around its territory more than it flies. Even when disturbed by a person or a predator it is most likely to run away to cover.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Samira Belous

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Range Map for Crissal Thrasher

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Family Mockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae)_blue
Species Toxostoma crissale
Length10.5 - 12.5 Inches
Wingspan13.5 Inches

Crissal Thrasher

Crissal Thrasher: Large thrasher with gray-brown upperparts and unstreaked, gray underparts. The throat is white with dark moustache stripe, eyes are yellow, and black bill is long and strongly decurved. Tail is very long with chestnut-brown undertail coverts. Legs and feet are black.

● Song: "chideery", "cheeoo-ree-eep", or a "toit-toit-toit"

● Foraging & Feeding: Crissal Thrasher: Eats insects, spiders, seeds, and berries; forages on the ground, tossing leaves and vegetation with its bill.

● Breeding & nesting: Crissal Thrasher: One to four blue green eggs are laid in a nest made of twigs, lined with finer vegetation, and built in the middle of a dense shrub. Eggs are incubated for 14 days by both parents.

● Similar species: Crissal Thrasher: Le Conte's Thrasher is paler, has dark eyes, and only a wash of rust-brown undertail. Curve-billed Thrasher is paler, has faint spots on breast, orange eyes, and only a wash of rust-brown undertail. California Thrasher has dull buff belly and undertail, dark eyes, and is browner overall.

Flight Pattern

Longer flights are swift on rapidly beating wings; shorter flights alternate several quick shallow wing strokes and short glides.
Crissal Thrasher Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Crissal Thrasher: Resident from southern Nevada and southeastern California to western Texas and central Mexico. Preferred habitats include in dense, low scrubby vegetation, such as desert and foothill scrub and riparian brush.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationFairly common
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight2.2 Ounces
Perching-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
Undertail covertsX
Small feathers that cover the areas where the retrices (tail feathers) attach to the rump.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
RiparianX
Relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse (as a river) or sometimes of a lake or a tidewater. 
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

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.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX