Brown Thrasher Bird

Facts about Brown thrasher birds. "Scientific name for Brown thrasher birdis Toxostoma rufum". Brown thrasher bird is part of the Mimdae family, a term meaning mimic. A more commonly known member of that family is the mockingbird. Brown thrasher bird is a member of the Toxostoma genus. This species is not supposed to be called the brown thrush.
While it is all one species throughout its range, it has two sub-species with their own geographic areas. The T. rufum rufum is in the eastern part of its range, while the T. rufum longicauda lives in the western part of its range. The T. rufum longicauda are a little larger and paler than T. Rufum rufum, the de facto standard for the BBrown thrasher bird species.

The name “Thrasher” is thought to come from the thrashing sound it makes digging through the underbrush looking for food or when smashing insects to eat.

Appearance of the Brown thrasher bird

The Brown thrasher bird has a dark brown back, a white stomach mottled with dark brown feathers, brown wings with white lines and a lighter brown head. This pattern helps it hide in the tangled shrubbery it likes to hide in. The Brown thrasher bird have down-curved bills and yellow eyes. The species has a long tail and elongated body shape. Males and female Brown thrasher bird have similar appearances.
Young Brown thrasher birds look a lot like adults except for having more brownish eye colors.
Adults reach nine to twelve inches in length, while they have a wingspan of around a foot (30.5 cm). They weight two to three ounces (56.6 to 85 grams).
The Brown thrasher bird closely resemble the Wood Thrush, but that species is smaller and has a larger underside than the Brown Thresher. It also has darker eyes and a more westerly range.

Behavior of Brown thrasher bird

The Brown thrasher bird prefers to forage below dense cover. They prefer to live in scrubby fields, the forest edge and regenerating woods.
These are songbirds. The Brown thrasher birds have a very large repertoire of up to 1000 song phrases. They prefer to stand on the top of the shrub to sing. The Brown thrasher bird can also make a distinct sound that sounds like a smacking kiss. Other calls include whistles, slurred, soft chirrups, and hissing sounds, but most of their songs copy the songs of other birds.
The Brown thrasher bird prefer to nest in shrubs and trees but can nest on the ground. The Brown thrasher bird are territorial and will defend their nests. These birds are low fliers.
During the breeding season, their diet becomes more predatory, eating grasshoppers, beetles and other insects in addition to nuts, seeds and fruits. As fall approaches, they become more vegetarian. In the winter, they eat mostly fallen fruit and acorns.
The Brown thrasher bird tend to be monogamous.

Habitat of Brown thrasher bird

Brown thrasher birds are the only species of thrashers in North America east of Texas. Their summer range can include most of the U.S. east of the Rocky Mountains. They are found year-round in the southern United States, while their winter non-breeding range extends to the tip of Florida and central Texas. Those that live in the western part of its range are a little larger and lighter than those in the eastern part of their range.
The Brown thrasher bird shares its winter range with the long-billed thrasher, which only lives in south Texas and eastern Mexico.
The Brown thrasher bird prefers to eat berries. They can eat nuts and insects, as well. They can hammer harder nuts like acorns against a rock to beat it open.

Trivia about Brown thrasher bird

The Brown thrasher bird is a state bird of Georgia.