Photo: Mike Baird from Morro Bay, USA / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
California Thrasher
Toxostoma redivivum
California Thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of North America.
Found across 7 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The California Thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum) is a member of the Mimidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and North America. Adults weigh 84.4 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Mimidae Mockingbirds, Thrashers
- Genus Toxostoma
- Species redivivum
Where it lives
California, also Baja California (northwestern Mexico)
Quick facts
- Weight
- 84.4 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Mimidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Vulnerable
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The California Thrasher is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it uses a wide range of foraging strategies.
Migration
The California Thrasher is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The California Thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum) is a species of bird in the Mimidae family, part of the order Passeriformes. Its range spans Central America & Caribbean and North America. Its distribution covers NA, MA California, also Baja California (nw Mexico).
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 84.4 g, with a wing length of about 10.2 cm and a tail of around 13.3 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 167,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the California Thrasher?
The California Thrasher is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 84.4 g.
Where does the California Thrasher live?
The California Thrasher is found across Central America & Caribbean and North America with a range covering NA, MA California, also Baja California (nw Mexico), where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the California Thrasher belong to?
The California Thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum) belongs to the Mimidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the California Thrasher eat?
The California Thrasher is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the California Thrasher migrate?
The California Thrasher is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the California Thrasher endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the California Thrasher make?
1 real field recording of the California Thrasher — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the California Thrasher's range?
The California Thrasher has a mapped global range of about 167,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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