Bird of the Week: CLXX

Curve-billed Thrasher — Toxostoma curvirostre
- ORDER: Passeriformes
- FAMILY: Mimidae
I call the Curve-billed Thrasher the bully bird of our backyard. With their curved strong beaks, they often intimidate other birds and take over the bird feeder. Once in the feeder, the Curve-billed Thrasher uses his beak to thrash back and forth through the birdseed. Most of it lands on the ground where our quail gladly gather.
Without our bird feeder, the Curve-billed Thrasher uses its beak to endlessly overturn ground in a sweeping motion foraging for insects, spiders and other food. This is similar to how they approach the bird feeder. They also eat the fruits and seeds of saguaro, prickly pear, and cholla.
Curve-billed Thrashers live in the desert Southwest of the United States and Mexico.

Map from All About Birds.
Measurements (both sexes):
Length: 10.6-11.0 in (27-28 cm)
Weight: 2.1-3.3 oz (60.8-93.6 g)
Wingspan: 13.4-13.6 in (34-34.5 cm)
They have strong legs, a curved beak, long tail and bright yellow orange eyes. The Curve-billed Thrashers in our Sonoran Desert are gray, but further south in Texas and Mexico they have lighter chests and are often speckled.

Curve-billed Thrashers mate for life and defend their territories that are five to 11 acres of desert land. They build nests in cholla or prickly pear cactus where the spikes protect them.
Call: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Curve-billed_Thrasher/sounds


💕 I forgot to tell you. I saw a cardinal in our local park the other day!!
How cool!
The do look rather fierce when they want to. Any bird that hangs about in cacti has to be tough. They have a lovely call
They do have a beautiful call. You’d think it wouldn’t be so pretty.
The calls that some birds send out sometimes make you wonder. It works from both ends as well Not so pretty birds with a glorious call or pretty birds that make a horrid sound. Swans honking is one
I haven’t thought of that before, but it’s true.
The Bully Bird!
Definitely!
I always thought a curved-bill was a type of mail that I spindle and then throw in the trash can.
Ha! 😅
He looks like bird with a serious don’t mess with me attitude.
😉
That’s him!