Long-billed Thrasher

The Long-billed Thrasher, Toxostoma longirostre, is a medium-sized songbird native to South Texas and eastern Mexico. It is a robust mimid, comparable in size to the American Robin, with a slender build and a notably long tail. The species exhibits a grayish-brown crown with rufous tones on the back and rump, and a paler underbelly adorned with distinct blackish oval spots.

Identification Tips

Adult Long-billed Thrashers have a length ranging from 26.5 to 29 cm and weigh approximately 70 grams. They possess broad white tips on their primary coverts, giving their closed wings a rufous appearance. Their eyes are typically orange or orange-yellow, and they have a dull brown bill with a pinkish-grey base on the lower mandible. Juveniles can be identified by dusty streaks on their rump and buffy-white undertail coverts.

Habitat

This species thrives in dense vegetation with spiny shrubs and trees, which provide protection and nesting sites. It is commonly found in the thorny brushlands of its range.

Distribution

The Long-billed Thrasher is a resident bird found from southern Texas north to San Antonio and Aranas, extending through north-western Mexico to central Veracruz. It is a common resident within its range, with the highest breeding density in the Rio Grande Valley.

Behaviour

Long-billed Thrashers are often concealed on or near the ground but may sing from exposed perches. They are known for their vigorous foraging technique, where they energetically turn over leaves and debris to uncover insects. These birds are territorial and will defend their nests with fervor.

Song & Calls

The Long-billed Thrasher's song is a melodious warble, rich and musical, with phrases often repeated. Its calls include a loud, rich whistle and a mellow, whistled "tweeooip" or "ooeh," along with sharp "chak" and rattling sounds during territorial disputes.

Breeding

Nests are constructed in dense, thorny vegetation to deter predators. The female lays 2 to 5 bluish-white eggs speckled with reddish-brown and gray. Incubation is shared by both parents and lasts about 13 to 14 days.

Similar Species

The Long-billed Thrasher can be confused with the Brown Thrasher, but it has a grayer face, whiter underparts, and a longer, blacker bill. The Sage Thrasher, which shares some of its range, is smaller, grayer, and has more distinctly white tail feathers.

Diet and Feeding

The Long-billed Thrasher's diet includes invertebrates such as grasshoppers, beetles, and other insects, as well as crustaceans, gastropods, and a fair amount of vegetable matter, particularly berries. It forages by sweeping its bill side to side to toss leaf litter and scratch the ground for food.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List classifies the Long-billed Thrasher as Least Concern. While some habitat loss has occurred, the species has adapted to certain human-modified landscapes and remains common within its range.