70birds

That Nest in Birdhouses

70birds

That Nest in Birdhouses

70birds

That Nest in Birdhouses

Brown Thrasher

Order: Passeriformes
Family: Mimidae
Genus: Toxostoma
Species: rufum

La. passer sparrow, small bird
La. forma form, kind, species
La. mimus mimic, actor
La. -idae appearance, resemblance

La. dumetum a thicket
Gr. toxon a bow (for arrows)
Gr. stoma the mouth (for the Thrasher’s curved bill)
La. rufus red, ruddy

Painting of brown thrasher perched among vine branches and green leaves.

Brown thrashers measure about eleven to twelve inches long. Orange brown upper parts, darker wings with two short white bands. White underside with tiny black arrowhead spots in rows stretching front to back. Long downward curved bill. Long twitching tail. Yellow eyes.

USGS map shows brown thrashers generally inhabit eastern North America, west to the base of the Rocky Mountains.

They inhabit eastern North America, west to the base of the Rocky Mountains, throughout the Great Plains, north into Canada from Alberta to New Brunswick and south to the Gulf States.

Brown thrashers sing a flowing warbling song in the upper most conspicuous tree branches.

Brown thrasher song transcribed to sheet music.

They run and hop along the ground foraging for grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, beetles, ants and other insects on the ground. They also eat various fruits.

Attract brown thrashers. Plant any of blackberry, buckthorn, black cherry, choke cherry, dogwood, elderberry, wild grape, sour gum, mulberry, pokeberry, raspberry and false spikenard.

Brown thrashers build bulky nests of loosely assembled twigs, bark strips, leaves and roots lined with hair and feathers in low trees, bushes, vines, stumps, brush heaps and on the ground. They chase cats and dogs in the vicinity of their nests.

Females lay three to six, usually four or five white eggs (sometimes with a blue green tint), which eggs hatch in about two weeks or less and young leave the nest in about another two weeks or less.

Gilbert H. Trafton, the author of “Bird Friends”, 1916, recommended platforms open on all four sides for nesting thrashers, catbirds and song sparrows.

A USGS research center web site and an older version of an Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation brochure also included Catbirds and Thrashers as users of platforms. The original brochure said: “These birds will use the nesting platform when natural nesting sites are unavailable.”

Painting of a brown thrasher perched on a tree branch in typical tail up stance.

“The platforms should be placed in partial shade along main branches of trees or under the eaves of a shed or porch roof.” In 1993, Catbirds and Thrashers were deleted from the brochure because of a lack of documentation.

Brown thrashers probably don’t need assistance in the foliage their nests are often found unless you’re trying to attract them to a particular spot.

Try mounting the open platform low behind a bush on a wall, fence or vine covered wall so the parents can approach the nest unnoticed, higher if predator cats may be about.

Another maybe better alternative is something similar to the concave shaped cups made of netting material some have made for blue jays.

Attach corners to branches creating a trampoline effect from natural cloth material and conceal in a bush.

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Order: Passeriformes
Family: Mimidae
Genus: Toxostoma
Species: rufum

La. passer sparrow, small bird
La. forma form, kind, species
La. mimus mimic, actor
La. -idae appearance, resemblance

La. dumetum a thicket
Gr. toxon a bow (for arrows)
Gr. stoma the mouth (for the Thrasher’s curved bill)
La. rufus red, ruddy

Painting of brown thrasher perched among vine branches and green leaves.

Brown thrashers measure about eleven to twelve inches long. Orange brown upper parts, darker wings with two short white bands. White underside with tiny black arrowhead spots in rows stretching front to back. Long downward curved bill. Long twitching tail. Yellow eyes.

USGS map shows brown thrashers generally inhabit eastern North America, west to the base of the Rocky Mountains.

They inhabit eastern North America, west to the base of the Rocky Mountains, throughout the Great Plains, north into Canada from Alberta to New Brunswick and south to the Gulf States.

Brown thrashers sing a flowing warbling song in the upper most conspicuous tree branches.

Brown thrasher song transcribed to sheet music.

They run and hop along the ground foraging for grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, beetles, ants and other insects on the ground. They also eat various fruits.

Attract brown thrashers. Plant any of blackberry, buckthorn, black cherry, choke cherry, dogwood, elderberry, wild grape, sour gum, mulberry, pokeberry, raspberry and false spikenard.

Brown thrashers build bulky nests of loosely assembled twigs, bark strips, leaves and roots lined with hair and feathers in low trees, bushes, vines, stumps, brush heaps and on the ground. They chase cats and dogs in the vicinity of their nests.

Females lay three to six, usually four or five white eggs (sometimes with a blue green tint), which eggs hatch in about two weeks or less and young leave the nest in about another two weeks or less.

Gilbert H. Trafton, the author of “Bird Friends”, 1916, recommended platforms open on all four sides for nesting thrashers, catbirds and song sparrows.

A USGS research center web site and an older version of an Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation brochure also included Catbirds and Thrashers as users of platforms. The original brochure said: “These birds will use the nesting platform when natural nesting sites are unavailable.”

Painting of a brown thrasher perched on a tree branch in typical tail up stance.

The platforms should be placed in partial shade along main branches of trees or under the eaves of a shed or porch roof.” In 1993, Catbirds and Thrashers were deleted from the brochure because of a lack of documentation.

Brown thrashers probably don’t need assistance in the foliage their nests are often found unless you’re trying to attract them to a particular spot.

Visit the open nesting platform page.

Open Platform 

Select to view or print the open platform plans.

Open Platform Plans

Try mounting the open platform low behind a bush on a wall, fence or vine covered wall so the parents can approach the nest unnoticed, higher if predator cats may be about.

Another maybe better alternative is something similar to the concave shaped cups made of netting material some have made for blue jays. Attach corners to branches creating a trampoline effect from natural cloth material and conceal in a bush.

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Brown Thrasher

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Painting of brown thrasher perched among vine branches and green leaves.

Order: Passeriformes
Family: Mimidae
Genus: Toxostoma
Species: rufum

La. passer sparrow, small bird
La. forma form, kind, species
La. mimus mimic, actor
La. -idae appearance, resemblance

La. dumetum a thicket
Gr. toxon a bow (for arrows)
Gr. stoma the mouth (for the Thrasher’s curved bill)
La. rufus red, ruddy

Brown thrashers measure about eleven to twelve inches long. Orange brown upper parts, darker wings with two short white bands. White underside with tiny black arrowhead spots in rows stretching front to back. Long downward curved bill. Long twitching tail. Yellow eyes.

USGS map shows brown thrashers generally inhabit eastern North America, west to the base of the Rocky Mountains.

Brown thrashers inhabit eastern North America, west to the base of the Rocky Mountains, throughout the Great Plains, north into Canada from Alberta to New Brunswick and south to the Gulf States.

They sing a flowing warbling song in the upper most conspicuous tree branches.

Brown thrasher song transcribed to sheet music.

They run and hop along the ground foraging for grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, beetles, ants and other insects on the ground. They also eat various fruits.

Attract brown thrashers. Plant any of blackberry, buckthorn, black cherry, choke cherry, dogwood, elderberry, wild grape, sour gum, mulberry, pokeberry, raspberry and false spikenard.

Brown thrashers build bulky nests of loosely assembled twigs, bark strips, leaves and roots lined with hair and feathers in low trees, bushes, vines, stumps, brush heaps and on the ground. They chase cats and dogs in the vicinity of their nests.

Females lay three to six, usually four or five white eggs (sometimes with a blue green tint), which eggs hatch in about two weeks or less and young leave the nest in about another two weeks or less.

Painting of a brown thrasher perched on a tree branch in typical tail up stance.

Gilbert H. Trafton, the author of “Bird Friends”, 1916, recommended platforms open on all four sides for nesting thrashers, catbirds and song sparrows.

A USGS research center web site and an older version of an Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation brochure also included Catbirds and Thrashers as users of platforms. The original brochure said: “These birds will use the nesting platform when natural nesting sites are unavailable.”

“The platforms should be placed in partial shade along main branches of trees or under the eaves of a shed or porch roof.” In 1993, Catbirds and Thrashers were deleted from the brochure because of a lack of documentation.

Brown thrashers probably don’t need assistance in the foliage their nests are often found unless you’re trying to attract them to a particular spot.

Visit the open nesting platform page.

Open Platform 

Select to view or print the open platform plans.

Open Platform Plans

Try mounting the open platform low behind a bush on a wall, fence or vine covered wall so the parents can approach the nest unnoticed, higher if predator cats may be about.

Another maybe better alternative is something similar to the concave shaped cups made of netting material some have made for blue jays. Attach corners to branches creating a trampoline effect from natural cloth material and conceal in a bush.

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