All About Thrashers and How to Attract Them

If you're on the lookout for thrashers, don't rely on their birdsong for identification. After all, thrashers can mimic other birds — and often do!

Instead, polish your keen observation skills (and binoculars). Although many species flaunt beautifully speckled feathers that stand out against foliage, thrashers have shy personalities, which makes them difficult to locate.

We asked Denver Audubon board member Sheridan Samano, who also co-founded an immersive wildlife travel company called Reefs to Rockies, to share more about these fascinating birds. She's the author of Best Birding Hikes - Colorado's Front Range and the founder of the Birding & Beers club with over 1,300 members.

California thrasher resting on a tree branch.

How to Identify a Thrasher (and Where to Spot Them)

Birders worldwide have the opportunity to spot thrashers. Eight of the 14 species inhabit the United States, with all of them appearing robin-size or a bit larger, with a long tail used for balancing as they hop among the branches of thick plant growth.

But you have to practice patience.

Thrashers act coy and are often only spotted when moving in and out of the bases of thick bushes or shrubs, Samano explained. If you're lucky, you may also see them out in the open when they burst into song or eat a snack.

"The most common thrasher beginning birders will encounter is the Brown thrasher. They can be identified as large, red-brown colored birds with bright yellow eyes found all over the eastern US," Samano shared. "Their song is a distinct trail-mix bag of other bird songs, as Brown thrashers are mimics. They sing in 'double phrases' with raspy calls sprinkled in."

Curious? You can listen to a variety of Brown thrasher audio recordings on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website.

The eight thrashers you'll find in the United States include:

1. Brown Thrasher

Brown thrashers live in every state east of the Rocky Mountains. They have a rich red-brown color with little brown spots on their white chest and flanks. They're difficult to see but sometimes forage boldly in a neighborhood front yard.

2. Long-billed Thrasher

Head to southern Texas to spot this variety. They look very similar to the Brown thrasher but prefer dry landscapes. The Long-billed thrasher has a complicated song like the Brown thrasher. However, it does not mimic other birds.

3. Curve-billed Thrasher

Birders in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma can find Curve-billed thrashers in deserts and open, shrubby areas. Typically, these birds appear shy but occasionally get spotted singing on the tops of cacti in the morning. True to its name, this variety has a distinct down-curved bill.

4. Bendire's Thrasher

This variety's range includes California, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. Look to dry grasslands and shrubby deserts to spot a Bendire's thrasher. They look a lot like the Curve-billed thrasher. So much so that it was believed they were the same species until the 1870s, Samano explained. Like all other thrashers, their shyness makes them tricky to see in the open, unless you catch them singing on a shrub or cactus.

5. LeConte's Thrasher

You can peep this thrasher in the bushes and shrubs of flat deserts of California, Nevada, and Arizona. Unlike the others, this thrasher has no spots or streaking. The LeConte features beautiful tan feathers with a long, all-black bill. "If you are lucky enough to spot one running between bushes, it can sometimes look like a small road runner carrying its tail straight up while it runs," Samano educated.

6. Crissal Thrasher

Look to California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas for this thrasher. The large, dark-colored bird has no spots or streaks but does have a distinctive rufous (reddish color) patch of feathers on the underside of the tail. Like the other thrashers, this shy species stays tucked away unless it's perched proudly while singing.

7. California Thrasher

As the name implies, this thrasher lives only in California. Bird watchers will delight in knowing the California thrasher dominates in the California chaparral, or areas of widespread native plants found on mountain slopes and in foothills. The largest of the thrasher species in the US, the California thrasher has a lanky body with a curved bill and feathers in various tan shades.

8. Sage Thrasher

You can spot these tiny, speckled birds with short beaks in most of the western US. They frequent sagebrush habitats. You will likely hear a Sage thrasher before you see it, as they have incredibly long songs.

Thrashers live in most of the United States, with a concentration in the Southwest. Most species of thrashers are non-migratory, which means they stay in one area year-round. However, Brown and Sage thrashers will sometimes move a short distance to avoid cold weather. For example, a Brown thrasher may migrate from Vermont to North Carolina until the spring thaw.

Long-billed thrasher eating a red berry.

How to Bring Thrashers to Your Backyard

Thrashers take refuge in thick plant cover, such as shrubs and bushes, for safety from predators like snakes and dogs. If you're working on a new landscape plan for your yard, consider planting blueberry, huckleberry, or elderberry bushes to attract the Brown thrasher.

These birds also adore water. Adding a small yard pond or in-ground birdbath will bring thrashers and many other wild birds to your home.

Thrashers dine on insects, fruits, and seeds. Choosing plants that produce berries, shed seeds, and attract insects keeps thrashers interested in your yard. Brown thrashers specifically enjoy sweeping their bills through leaf litter in search of beetles, grubs, caterpillars, grasshoppers, lizards, and fruits such as strawberries, holly berries, cherries, and raspberries.

When it comes to filling your bird feeder, "you can offer sunflower seeds, live or dried mealworms, cracked corn, and suet. These foods appeal to their varied diet and can increase the chances of a visit," Samano shared.

Kaytee offers a large variety of suet cakes to fill your bird feeder. The key ingredient in suet, beef tallow, provides wild birds with much-needed energy during the colder winter months. Each Kaytee suet cake comes in a handy tray, making it easy to slip into a Kaytee Feeder station for mess-free refills. Consider one of these tasty options to feed the thrashers in your yard:

• Kaytee Cherry Harvest Suet Feed: Attract thrashers, catbirds, mockingbirds and other birds to your yard with this cherry-flavored suet.

• Kaytee Nut & Fruit Suet Dough: Offer this blend of cherry, berry, and apple flavorings to attract birds to your yard. A good alternative to traditional suet during warm, summer months, as it's less mess than other suet products.

• Kaytee Orange Harvest Suet Dough: Great for warmer months as it's less messy than other suet products. Includes corn, roasted peanuts, papaya, and orange flavoring.

• Kaytee Positively Peanut Suet: Attract birds that go "nuts" for insects and grubs in their diet, like the thrasher. This suet is a blend of roasted peanuts, corn, and oats.

• Kaytee Wild Berry Suet: Made with corn, white millet, oats, and berry flavoring for a high-energy food.

• Kaytee Nut & Raisin Harvest Suet: Thrashers and other wild birds visiting your backyard will enjoy this suet filled with raisins and roasted peanuts.

Thrashers Can Be Tricky — Look Close!

If you see a speckled bird with a long tail hopping in and out of the base of a thick bush, you may have spotted a shy little thrasher. Bring more of these intriguing birds to your yard by offering thick shrubs, fruit-bearing bushes, and a feeder filled with suet.

Learn more about attracting wild birds to your yard in How to Feed Birds in Summer. Happy birding!