Watercolor portrait of Long-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma longirostre)

Long-billed Thrasher

Toxostoma longirostre
Localized Rich, rolling thrasher song

Learn to identify the Long-billed Thrasher by ear. Master the "cheer-up, churry-churry, whee-cha-cha!" phrase and tell it apart from similar species.

“cheer-up, churry-churry, whee-cha-cha!”

What the Long-billed Thrasher sounds like

A loud, varied stream of musical phrases, often delivered from the top of a shrub or small tree. Some birds weave in borrowed snippets from neighbors, making the song feel like a lively medley.

How to tell it apart

Listen for: “cheer-up, churry-churry, whee-cha-cha!”

Where you'll hear it

This is a year-round resident in northeastern Mexico and extreme south Texas. It does not make big migrations, so a good patch of thornscrub can hold the same birds in every season.

Look for it in dense thornscrub, brushy edges, hedgerows, and overgrown yards. In south Texas, it is especially tied to thick native shrublands in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Spring is the noisiest time, when males sing from exposed perches above the brush. In fall and winter, birds are quieter and easier to miss as they skulk low in cover.

How to recognize it by sight

This rusty-brown songster loves to stay half-hidden in tangled brush, then suddenly pop up and belt out a loud, rolling song. It looks rich cinnamon above with a boldly streaked chest and, true to its name, a long slightly curved bill that seems made for poking through thorns and leaf litter.

Similar species

Curve-billed Thrasher

Usually plainer below, with far less bold streaking on the chest and belly.

Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher has an even longer tail and a colder, less cinnamon tone on the back.

Northern Mockingbird

Mockingbird is gray, not warm brown, and shows bold white wing flashes in flight.

Long-billed Thrasher song FAQ

What does a Long-billed Thrasher sound like?
A loud, varied stream of musical phrases, often delivered from the top of a shrub or small tree. Some birds weave in borrowed snippets from neighbors, making the song feel like a lively medley. Listen for the "cheer-up, churry-churry, whee-cha-cha!" phrase.
How do I tell a Long-billed Thrasher from a Curve-billed Thrasher?
Curve-billed Thrasher: Usually plainer below, with far less bold streaking on the chest and belly. Often has a more obviously curved bill and a grayer, less rich brown look overall. Favors more open desert scrub in much of its range, though ranges overlap locally.
When is the best time to hear a Long-billed Thrasher?
Spring is the noisiest time, when males sing from exposed perches above the brush. In fall and winter, birds are quieter and easier to miss as they skulk low in cover.