The brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) is a captivating bird species belonging to the Mimidae family, which also includes catbirds and mockingbirds. Sometimes mistakenly called the brown thrush or fox-colored thrush, this bird is known for its impressive song repertoire and adaptable feeding habits. Abundant in the eastern and central United States and southern Canada, the brown thrasher is the only thrasher primarily residing east of the Rockies and central Texas.
Physical Characteristics
As a member of the Toxostoma genus, the brown thrasher is relatively large compared to other thrashers. It boasts brown upper parts contrasted by a white underpart adorned with dark streaks, often leading to confusion with the smaller wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina).
The bird's vibrant reddish-brown upperparts and buffy underparts, marked with thin, dark streaks, make it easily identifiable. A whitish chest displays distinctive teardrop-shaped markings, complemented by a long, rufous tail with paler corners and brilliant yellow eyes. Its brownish bill is long and curves downward. Adults typically measure 23.5 to 30.5 cm (9.3 to 12.0 in) in length with a wingspan of 29 to 33 cm (11 to 13 in), weighing between 61 to 89 g (2.2 to 3.1 oz), averaging around 68 g (2.4 oz).
Two subspecies exist: the 'brown thrasher' (T. rufum rufum) in the eastern half of Canada and the United States, and the 'western brown thrasher' (T. rufum longicauda) in the central United States east of the Rocky Mountains and southern central Canada.
Habitat and Behavior
Brown thrashers reside in various habitats, often preferring woodland edges, thickets, and dense brush. They are usually observed alone or in pairs, maintaining an elusive presence with low-level flying. When disturbed, they retreat into thickets and emit cackling calls. These birds spend most of their time on or near the ground.
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Omnivorous Diet
The brown thrasher is an omnivore, its diet encompassing a wide range of items from insects to fruits and nuts, as well as earthworms, snails, and occasionally lizards and frogs. A study of their stomach contents revealed that 63% consisted of animal matter, with the remaining 37% being plant material.
Seasonal Variations in Diet
The diet of the brown thrasher varies depending on the time of year, with seeds being common in late summer through winter, and insects playing a more significant role in spring and early summer. Acorns are among the favorite foods in the fall.
During the breeding season, the diet primarily consists of beetles, grasshoppers, and other arthropods, alongside fruits, nuts, and seeds.
Favorite Foods
Beetles form the largest share of animal material eaten by brown thrashers, with May beetles, weevils, tent caterpillars, white grubs, and army worms being particularly favored. In the summer, the diet includes a range of fruits, mainly berries such as blueberry, elderberry, pokeberry, and blackberry. Acorns are the favorite seeds eaten by brown thrashers. They can frequently be seen hammering acorns against the ground to break open the shells.
Specific Dietary Components
- Insects: Grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, cicadas, moths, caterpillars, flies, and their larvae.
- Fruits: Blueberry, huckleberry, holly, elderberries, pokeberries, hackberries, Virginia creeper, sour gum, bayberry, sumac, raspberry, currant, grape, cherry, and strawberry.
- Seeds and Nuts: Acorns, millet, corn, and black sunflower seeds.
Foraging Behavior
Brown thrashers utilize their vision while searching for food. They forage under leaves, brushes, and soil debris on the ground, using their bill to swipe the floor in side-to-side motions and investigating the area they recently foraged in.
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They typically feed on the ground, sweeping their bills through the leaf litter and soil with quick, sideways motions. They also forage in clusters of dead leaves on trees, eat fruit right off of berry bushes, glean seeds from weed stems, and sometimes catch insects in the air. Observations of brown thrashers in Texas during winter months recorded around 95 percent of foraging time spent on the ground, searching through leaf litter for seeds, particularly acorns, and fallen fruit.
Feeding and Attracting Brown Thrashers
Brown thrashers may be seen opportunistically searching for food from beneath and around backyard feeders, as well as taking grain, seeds, and suet from feeders placed on or near to the ground.
What to Feed
Grains and seeds are among brown thrashers’ staple foods, and they may also take suet, mealworms, and peanuts. The best feeder for brown thrashers is a platform feeder or feeding table positioned close to ground level, stocked with nuts, seeds, and grains.
What Not to Feed
Certain foods are unsafe for consumption by any birds, including brown thrashers.
Providing Water
Brown thrashers drink water, and only water. Supplying a dish of freshwater close to the ground, or a topped-up bird bath will offer a suitable source of hydration for brown thrashers visiting your backyard.
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How to Attract
Patches of undergrowth with thickets and shrubs will attract brown thrashers, who probe for insects by sifting through piles of leaves that cover the ground. Planting native berries helps provide natural food for brown thrashers. These birds love berries like elderberry, serviceberry, and dogwood. Creating insect-friendly spaces invites plenty of bugs for the thrashers to eat. Avoid using pesticides to keep insects safe. Plant flowers like goldenrod and coneflowers that attract bees and butterflies. Leaf litter and mulch provide homes for insects.
Breeding and Nesting
Brown thrashers are typically monogamous birds. Their breeding season varies by region, starting in February and March in the southeastern United States and in May and June in the northern portion of their breeding range.
The courting ritual involves the exchanging of probable nesting material. Males sing gently as they sight a female, prompting the female to grab a twig or leaf and present it to the male, with flapping wings and chirping sounds.
The female lays 3 to 5 eggs with a bluish or greenish tint and reddish-brown spots. The nest is built twiggy, lined with grass, leaves, and other forms of dead vegetation, typically in a dense shrub or low in a tree, usually up to 2.1 m (6.9 ft) high, but sometimes as high as 6 m (20 ft). They also occasionally build nests on the ground. Both parents incubate and feed the young, with the female doing most of the incubating. The eggs hatch between eleven days to two weeks, and the nestlings begin to fledge nine to thirteen days after hatching.
Conservation Status
Although widespread and common, the brown thrasher has declined in numbers in some areas due to loss of suitable habitat. Despite the decrease, the rate does not warrant a vulnerable status. One of the natural nuisances is the parasitic brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater), but these incidents are rare.