Curve-billed Thrasher
Learn to identify the Curve-billed Thrasher by ear. Master the "wheet-wheet, chewida-chewida-chew!" phrase and tell it apart from similar species.
What the Curve-billed Thrasher sounds like
A loud, varied series of whistles, trills, and chatty phrases. It sounds bright and musical, often delivered from a cactus top or rooftop.
How to tell it apart
Where you'll hear it
Curve-billed Thrashers live year-round across the southwestern U.S. and much of northern and central Mexico. Most stay close to home instead of migrating.
Look for it in dry country with cactus, mesquite, thorny scrub, and desert neighborhoods. It likes open ground for feeding and spiky cover for nesting.
They are easiest to notice in spring, when males sing from rooftops, cactus tops, and utility poles. In every season, watch for them running across the ground with tail slightly cocked and bill pointed down.
How to recognize it by sight
This big desert songbird looks built for attitude. It wears sandy gray-brown feathers, a long tail, and a curved bill—but the real giveaway is its glowing orange-yellow eye. Breast spotting varies by region, from obvious in eastern birds to faint in many Sonoran birds.