Species › Birds › Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher

Toxostoma rufum

CommonBird
Illustration of Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)

The Brown Thrasher has the largest repertoire of any North American bird, capable of producing over 1,100 distinct song types — each phrase typically sung twice before moving to the next. It is a large, rufous-backed, long-tailed bird with a strongly curved bill used to thrash aside leaf litter. It is the state bird of Georgia.

Habitat
Dense shrubs, forest edges, hedgerows, and thickets
Diet
Insects, earthworms, berries, nuts, and small lizards
How common
Common

Best time to see a Brown Thrasher

The best time to see a Brown Thrasher is March–June, when about 67% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 41,992 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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