Crissal Thrasher
Crissal Thrasher
Toxostoma crissale
At a Glance
This big dark thrasher of the desert regions manages to stay out of sight most of the time, hiding in thickets. At some seasons its presence is revealed mainly by its rolling callnotes, heard especially at dawn and dusk. The observer who seeks it may find the Crissal Thrasher foraging on the ground under dense cover, using its long curved bill to dig in the desert soil. In spring, males move up to higher perches to sing their musical but disjointed song.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Mockingbirds and Thrashers, Perching Birds
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Arroyos and Canyons, Desert and Arid Habitats, Forests and Woodlands, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets
Region
California, Rocky Mountains, Southwest, Texas
Behavior
Direct Flight, Rapid Wingbeats, Running
Population
110.000
Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps
Mostly a permanent resident, but a few may appear in fall and winter away from breeding areas.
Description
10 1/2 -12 1/2" (27-32 cm). Strongly curved bill, chestnut undertail coverts. Dark whisker mark, plain breast, eyes dull gold to brown.
Size
About the size of a Crow, About the size of a Robin
Color
Black, Gray, Red, White
Wing Shape
Broad
Tail Shape
Long, Rounded, Wedge-shaped
Songs and Calls
Call is a rolling chorilee, chorilee. Song consists of loud repeated phrases.
Call Pattern
Falling, Rising, Undulating
Call Type
Chirp/Chip, Trill, Whistle
Habitat
Dense brush along desert streams, mesquite thickets. Habitat varies; in Sonoran desert found only in the densest mesquite thickets along washes, but in Chihuahuan desert it lives in sparse brush in open areas. Also occurs in dense chaparral, among manzanita and other scrub, in the southwestern mountains.
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Behavior
Eggs
2-3, sometimes 4. Blue-green; unmarked, unlike those of other thrashers. Incubation is by both parents, about 14 days.
Young
Both parents feed nestlings. Young leave nest about 11-13 days after hatching, are unable to fly well for several more days. 2 broods per year.
Feeding Behavior
Forages almost entirely on the ground under dense brush; finds much of its food by digging in the soil or among debris with its heavy, curved bill. Perches in bushes to eat berries.
Diet
Mostly insects, some berries. Feeds on a wide variety of insects, including beetles, grasshoppers, ants, caterpillars, and many others; also spiders, centipedes, and other arthropods. Sometimes eats small lizards. Berries and small fruits make up an important minority of diet.
Nesting
Pairs may remain together on territory at all seasons. Males sing in spring to defend nesting territory. When cowbirds lay eggs in the nest of this species, the adult thrashers generally throw the cowbird eggs out of the nest immediately. Nest site is well concealed in dense low growth, often in mesquites but also in other shrubs such as willows, greasewood, saltbush, even exotic saltcedar, usually 2-8' above the ground. Nest (built by both parents) is a bulky open cup of thorny twigs, lined with softer materials such as fine grass, weeds, bark fibers, and sometimes feathers.
Conservation
Conservation Status
Still reasonably common, although population trends would be hard to detect.
Climate Threats Facing the Crissal Thrasher
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.