THE BROWN THRASHER 



Mockingbird Family — Mimidce 



Length: About 11 inches, larger than the robin; tail 5 inches 

 long. 



General Appearance: A large bird with a bright brown back, 

 white breast streaked with brownish-black, and a 

 very long tail which is moved or "thrashed" about 

 incessantly. 



Male and Female: Reddish-brown above; white underneath, 

 becoming buff after the August molt; throat indis- 

 tinctly marked with dark streaks; breast and sides 

 heavily streaked; wings with two indistinct white 

 bars; tail almost half the length of the bird; bill 

 long (about 1 inch), sharp and curving. 



Notes: A "smacking" sound and a sharp whew. 



Song: A loud, clear, beautiful song. It consists of several 

 phrases, each composed of two or more similar notes. 

 Thoreau interpreted it as follows: "cherruit, cher- 

 ru.it, cherruit; go ahead, go ahead; give it to him, 

 give it to him." ^ The song is generally sung from 

 the tops of trees or bushes. 



Habitat: Like the catbird, the thrasher is found frequently in 

 shrubbery, where it scratches among dead leaves for 

 its food. Its brown color protects it admirably. 



Nest: Made of twigs, leaves, and root-fibers, placed in thickets 

 or on the ground. 



Eggs: White, evenly speckled with fine brown spots. 



Pood: Wild fruit and berries (30 kinds), and insects, espe- 

 cially beetles and caterpillars. Professor Beal says: 

 "The farmer has nothing to fear from depredations 



1 From Notes on New England Birds," by H. D, Thoreau, p. 361. 



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