Crissal Thrasher
Learn to identify the Crissal Thrasher by ear. Master the "chew-WEET, chur-chur, tee-dleeu!" phrase and tell it apart from similar species.
What the Crissal Thrasher sounds like
Pleasant musical notes trade places with rougher, quarrelling phrases in a long, varied stream.
How to tell it apart
Where you'll hear it
Crissal Thrashers live year-round in the desert Southwest of the U.S. and into northwestern Mexico. Most stay put within their home range rather than migrating far.
Look for it in dense desert tangles: mesquite bosques, catclaw, saltbush, cactus thickets, and brushy washes in the Southwest. It loves places with cover down low and open ground nearby for foraging.
They're easiest to detect in spring, when males sing from exposed perches at dawn. The rest of the year, they can be frustratingly sneaky, keeping low in dense cover and running more than flying.
How to recognize it by sight
A secretive desert songbird with a long tail, a gently curved bill, and a rich cinnamon patch under the tail. It slips through dense thorny scrub like a shadow, then suddenly pops up to sing with a bold, rolling voice.