Brown Thrasher - Ross Feldner Brown Thrashers are sometimes erroneously called the brown thrush. The name misconception may be because the word thrasher is believed to derive from the word thrush. It is abundant throughout the eastern and central United States and southern and central Canada, and it is the only thrasher to live primarily east of the Rockies. Although the Brown Thrasher resides in various habitats, it prefers to live in woodland edges, thickets and dense brush where it searches for food in dry leaves on the ground. The Brown Thrasher is an elusive bird and when threatened it usually hides in thickets and gives cackling calls. Its name does not come from attacking perceived threats, but is believed to have come from the thrashing sound the bird makes when digging through ground debris looking for insects. Its diet also includes berries, nuts and seeds, as well as earthworms, snails, and sometimes lizards and frogs. During breeding season males are at their most active, singing loudly on top of perches to attract potential mates. The courting ritual involves the exchanging of probable nesting material. Males will sing gentler as they sight a female, and this prompts the female to grab a twig or leaf and present it to the male, with flapping wings and chirping sounds. | |
