LONG-BILLED THRASHER

(Toxostoma longirostre)

eBird describes the Long-billed Thrasher like this:  A darker version of the more familiar Brown Thrasher. Look especially for the dark reddish-brown (not bright) upperparts, long tail, gray face, and streaked belly. Also note narrow black and white wingbars and slightly curved bill. A Mexican species with limited range in U.S.; found in understory of shrubby woodland. Usually seen singly. Sometimes visits bird feeders, foraging for seeds on the ground.  All About Birds adds this descriptive information:  The Long-billed Thrasher looks a lot like the Brown Thrasher of the eastern U.S. but lives in the dry, brushy landscapes of southeast Texas and northeastern Mexico. It’s a rich brown bird with heavy black streaking on white underparts, a grayish face, and an orange eye. Like other thrashers, it lives in dense brush and spends much of its time scratching or tossing leaves aside to catch insects on the ground. In spring, males sometimes perch in the open and sing a jumbled song with many repeated phrases.

I watched Long-billed Thrashers at both Sabal Palms Sanctuary and Laguna Atascosa on my Father’s Day trip to the Rio Grande Valley in June, 2020.  Hope you enjoy my photos of this striking bird!