Toxostoma lecontei
adult
Le Conte’s Thrasher is a pale, long-tailed songbird with a strongly downcurved bill. The sexes are similar, as are adults and juveniles. All birds have unmarked, pale sandy-gray body plumage that is subtly paler below than above except for the orange-buff undertail. The tail itself is contrastingly dark, and the face pattern comprises a whitish throat defined by a fine dark malar stripe. The eye is dark.
Le Conte’s Thrasher is present year-round in sparsely vegetated sandy deserts with scattered cholla cacti (Cylindropuntia spp.) and thorn bushes. It is much paler than the similar Crissal Thrasher and favors very different habitats. Despite the open nature of its favored terrain, its secretive behavior means it is hard to see. Fortunately, in late winter males sing from prominent perches at dawn and dusk.
adult
adult
FACT FILE
LENGTH 11 in (28 cm)
FOOD Invertebrates, berries, and seeds
HABITAT Open desert with sparse vegetation
STATUS Scarce and local resident
VOICE Song consists of a series of musical whistles, with some repetition of the phrases. Calls include a whistled tsweep
