Thrasher
Thrasher, a North American songbird. There are 17 species of thrashers, 9 of which are found in the United States. Most thrashers are brownish above with white breasts and bellies that are streaked or spotted with brown. These birds range in length from 8 to 13 inches (20 to 33 cm) and have short wings and long tails. Members of most species have fairly long, curved bills.
Thrashers inhabit dense brush and thickets. They make cup-shaped nests of twigs and leaves. The female lays two to six greenish-blue, speckled eggs. Thrashers eat mainly insects and fruit.
The only thrasher found east of the Rockies is the brown thrasher. Familiar species of the western United States include the crissal thrasher and sage thrasher.
Thrashers belong to the family Mimidae. Most species are of the genus Toxostoma. The brown thrasher is T. rufum; the crissal thrasher, T. dorsale. The sage thrasher is Oreoscoptes montanus.