Gray thrasher

Species of bird

The gray thrasher (Toxostoma cinereum) is a medium sized passerine bird belonging to the family Mimidae. It is endemic to the Baja California peninsula of Mexico.

The gray thrasher has two subspecies, the nominate T. c. cinereum and T. c. mearnsi.

The gray thrasher is found only in Mexico's Baja California, where its range extends from approximately north latitude 31°14' to its southern tip. On the east side of the peninsula, however, it is found only as far north as approximately 28°. There is a record of this species in the Famosa Slough, San Diego County, California. T. c. mearnsi occupies approximately the northern half of the range and the nominate subspecies the southern half. The gray thrasher inhabits arid and semi arid landscapes. Most are open to semi open with cacti, scrub, or scattered bushes and trees. In elevation it ranges from sea level to .

The gray thrasher typically forages on the ground or low down in vegetation. Its diet is not well studied but is known to include arthropods and cactus fruits.

Subspecies T. c. mearnsi of the gray thrasher breeds in March and April; T. c. cinereum breeds from May to mid July in the far south. The species' nest is a cup made of twigs and lined with finer materials such as grass. T. c. mearnsi almost always places its nest in cacti, while T. c. cinereum uses cacti, thorny shrubs, and mesquite trees. Nests are typically within of the ground. The clutch size is two to four.

The gray thrasher's song is "a loud, fairly scratchy warbling repeated two or three times"', and often sung from a high open perch. Its calls include "a rolled, rippling to rough whirr rr rr or chirr rri rrit, and a gruff chrek".

The IUCN has assessed the gray thrasher as being of Least Concern. It has a very large range and an apparently stable population of at least 20,000 mature individuals.