California Thrashers

California thrashers (Toxostoma redivivum) have been much more active in recent weeks. As Audubon.com states, they are: “Strictly permanent residents, rarely wandering even a short distance from breeding areas.” These birds are also “notoriously hard to spot.” Now is definitely an active breeding season for them. Zoom in on this sunrise photo and you will notice the long, deeply curved bill on this bird.

 

Thrashers have been heard and spotted recently at several open space locations in Santa Barbara and Goleta. Their song is a throaty burbling kind of melody that is fairly unlike other local and migratory bird song. (If you enjoy listening to Northern mockingbirds, you may detect how greatly mockers’ arias have been influenced by CA thrashers.)

 

Listen for the thrashers’ beautiful song. Look for a bird that has the coloring and shape of a California towhee, but is a bit larger and with a longer tail; the tail is often held an upright angle when the bird is on the ground. Perhaps you will see a thrasher foraging near bushy undergrowth or hear it serenading you from high atop a tree.