Gray thrasher

{{Speciesbox | name = Gray thrasher | image = Toxostoma cinereum-- The Grey Thrasher (27535218415).jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn|url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22711111/139348208 |title=Grey Thrasher ''Toxostoma cinereum'' |author=BirdLife International |author-link=BirdLife International |year=2020 |access-date=25 July 2021}}</ref> | genus = Toxostoma | species = cinereum | authority = (Xántus, J, 1860) | range_map = Toxostoma cinereum map.svg }}

The '''gray thrasher''' ('''''Toxostoma cinereum''''') is a medium-sized passerine bird belonging to the family Mimidae. It is endemic to the Baja California peninsula of Mexico.<ref name=IOC11.2>{{cite web |url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/ |title=IOC World Bird List (v 11.2) |last1=Gill |first1= F. |last2=Donsker|first2=D.|last3=Rasmussen |first3=P. |date=July 2021 |access-date=July 14, 2021 }}</ref>

==Taxonomy and systematics==

The gray thrasher has two subspecies, the nominate ''T. c. cinereum'' and ''T. c. mearnsi''.<ref name=IOC11.2/>

==Description==

The gray thrasher is {{convert|21.4|to|25.0|cm|in|abbr=on}} long. Four males weighed {{convert|58.6|to|69.8|g|oz|abbr=on}} and a female {{convert|54.4|g|oz|abbr=on}}. It is gray-brown above with cinnamon tones on the rump. Its underparts are white with arrow-shaped black spots. The outer tail feathers have white tips. Its eyes are golden yellow. The subspecies are similar, with ''T. c. mearnsi'' being somewhat darker overall.<ref name=GRTH-BOW>Soberanes-González, C. A., C. I. Rodríguez-Flores, M. d. C. Arizmendi, G. M. Kirwan, and T. S. Schulenberg (2020). Gray Thrasher (''Toxostoma cinereum''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.grathr1.01 retrieved July 25, 2021</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==

The gray thrasher is found only in Mexico's Baja California, where its range extends from approximately north latitude 31°14' to its southern tip. On the east side of the peninsula, however, it is found only as far north as approximately 28°. There is a record of this species in the Famosa Slough, San Diego County, California.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ebird.org/checklist/S24474588 | title=EBird Checklist - 2 Aug 2015 - Famosa Slough - 1 species | date=2 August 2015 }}</ref> ''T. c. mearnsi'' occupies approximately the northern half of the range and the nominate subspecies the southern half.<ref name=GRTH-BOW/>

The gray thrasher inhabits arid and semi-arid landscapes. Most are open to semi-open with cacti, scrub, or scattered bushes and trees. In elevation it ranges from sea level to {{convert|1500|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=GRTH-BOW/>

==Behavior== ===Feeding===

The gray thrasher typically forages on the ground or low down in vegetation. Its diet is not well studied but is known to include arthropods and cactus fruits.<ref name=GRTH-BOW/>

===Breeding===

Subspecies ''T. c. mearnsi'' of the gray thrasher breeds in March and April; ''T. c. cinereum'' breeds from May to mid-July in the far south. The species' nest is a cup made of twigs and lined with finer materials such as grass. ''T. c. mearnsi'' almost always places its nest in cacti, while ''T. c. cinereum'' uses cacti, thorny shrubs, and mesquite trees. Nests are typically within {{convert|3|m|ft|abbr=on}} of the ground. The clutch size is two to four.<ref name=GRTH-BOW/>

===Vocalization===

{{birdsong|url=https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Toxostoma-cinereum |species=gray thrasher }} The gray thrasher's song is "a loud, fairly scratchy warbling...repeated two or three times"', and often sung from a high open perch. Its calls include "a rolled, rippling to rough ''whirr-rr-rr'' or ''chirr-rri-rrit'', and a gruff ''chrek''".<ref name=GRTH-BOW/>

==Status==

The IUCN has assessed the gray thrasher as being of Least Concern. It has a very large range and an apparently stable population of at least 20,000 mature individuals.<ref name=IUCN/>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading==

* Peterson, Roger Tory & Edward L. Chalif (1973) ''A Field Guide to Mexican Birds'', Houghton Mifflin. * van Perlo, Ber (2006) ''A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Central America'', Collins.

gray thrasher Category:Birds of Mexico gray thrasher gray thrasher Category:Endemic birds of Mexico