Bendire's Thrasher
Encyclopedia
Bendire's Thrasher a perching bird
native to the southwestern United States
and northern Mexico
, is a medium-sized species of thrasher
.
Because of its similar coloration to the Curve-billed Thrasher
, the two birds are very easy to mistake for one another. The Bendire's Thrasher's shorter beak is a distinguishing feature when comparing mature birds, but it is still easy to misidentify an adult Bendire's Thrasher as a young Curve-billed Thrasher as its beak has not grown to its mature length.
The Bendire's Thrasher lives in the brush-filled deserts and valleys and drylands of the south-western United States, mainly along the southern border that Arizona
and New Mexico
shares with Mexico, (the Madrean sky islands
, mountain range sky island
s of the northern Mexican range: Sierra Madre Occidental
).
The Bendire's Thrasher constructs a cup-shaped nest from twigs, lining the interior with grass stems and rootlets. It is usually placed in a cactus or an otherwise thorny desert shrub or tree. The female lays three or four eggs, which are pale green to blue in color, and speckled with brown and purple.
Bendire's Thrasher, like the majority of thrashers, feed on small ground-dwelling insects.
was on a hike through the brushy deserts near Fort Lowell
, Arizona. While exploring the desert Bendire, an avid bird enthusiast, spotted a bird that was unfamiliar to him. Lieutenant Bendire shot the bird, which appeared to be a female thrasher, and sent its remains to the Smithsonian Institution
in Washington, D.C.
The remains of the specimen were examined by Elliott Coues
, who was perplexed to its species. After several of Coues's colleagues looked at the bird they believed it was just a female Curve-billed Thrasher, but Coues did not agree with that conclusion. Coues believed that the thrasher was a species that was yet unknown to science and sought out Bendire for additional information on the bird. Bendire replied to Coues with his affirmation that he also believed that it was a new species.
Lieutenant Bendire soon sent back a second specimen of the thrasher, a male, and details about its habits and eggs, all which were different from those of a Curve-billed Thrasher. Finally convinced, Coues named the new thrasher species Bendire's Thrasher in the honor of Charles Bendire.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
native to the southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
and northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, is a medium-sized species of thrasher
Thrasher
Thrashers are a New World group of passerine birds related to mockingbirds and New World catbirds. Like these, they are in the Mimidae family. There are 15 species in one large and 4 monotypic genera.These do not form a clade but are a phenetic assemblage...
.
General information
Bendire's Thrasher is 23–28 cm (9 to 11 inches) long, with a long tail and a short bill. It is colored grayish-brown on its upperparts and has paler underparts with faint dark streaks. The eyes are bright yellow, and the tips of the tail are tipped with white.Because of its similar coloration to the Curve-billed Thrasher
Curve-billed Thrasher
The Curve-billed Thrasher is a perching bird of the thrasher group native to the southwestern United States and much of Mexico....
, the two birds are very easy to mistake for one another. The Bendire's Thrasher's shorter beak is a distinguishing feature when comparing mature birds, but it is still easy to misidentify an adult Bendire's Thrasher as a young Curve-billed Thrasher as its beak has not grown to its mature length.
The Bendire's Thrasher lives in the brush-filled deserts and valleys and drylands of the south-western United States, mainly along the southern border that Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
shares with Mexico, (the Madrean sky islands
Madrean sky islands
The Madrean Sky Islands are enclaves of Madrean pine-oak woodlands, found at higher elevations in a complex of small mountain ranges in southern and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. The sky islands are surrounded at lower elevations by the Sonoran and...
, mountain range sky island
Sky island
Sky islands are mountains that are isolated by surrounding lowlands of a dramatically different environment, a situation which, in combination with the altitudinal zonation of ecosystems, has significant implications for natural habitats. Endemism, vertical migration, and relict populations are...
s of the northern Mexican range: Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...
).
The Bendire's Thrasher constructs a cup-shaped nest from twigs, lining the interior with grass stems and rootlets. It is usually placed in a cactus or an otherwise thorny desert shrub or tree. The female lays three or four eggs, which are pale green to blue in color, and speckled with brown and purple.
Bendire's Thrasher, like the majority of thrashers, feed on small ground-dwelling insects.
Discovery
On July 28, 1872 U.S. Army Lieutenant Charles BendireCharles Bendire
Major Charles Emil Bendire was a United States Army soldier and noted ornithologist and oologist. The Bendire's Thrasher is named for him.-Early life:...
was on a hike through the brushy deserts near Fort Lowell
Fort Lowell
Fort Lowell was a United States Army post active from 1873 to 1891 on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. Fort Lowell was the successor to Camp Lowell, an earlier Army installation. The Army chose a location just south of the confluence of the Tanque Verde and Pantano creeks, at the point where they...
, Arizona. While exploring the desert Bendire, an avid bird enthusiast, spotted a bird that was unfamiliar to him. Lieutenant Bendire shot the bird, which appeared to be a female thrasher, and sent its remains to the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The remains of the specimen were examined by Elliott Coues
Elliott Coues
Elliott Coues was an American army surgeon, historian, ornithologist and author.Coues was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He graduated at Columbian University, Washington, D.C., in 1861, and at the Medical school of that institution in 1863...
, who was perplexed to its species. After several of Coues's colleagues looked at the bird they believed it was just a female Curve-billed Thrasher, but Coues did not agree with that conclusion. Coues believed that the thrasher was a species that was yet unknown to science and sought out Bendire for additional information on the bird. Bendire replied to Coues with his affirmation that he also believed that it was a new species.
Lieutenant Bendire soon sent back a second specimen of the thrasher, a male, and details about its habits and eggs, all which were different from those of a Curve-billed Thrasher. Finally convinced, Coues named the new thrasher species Bendire's Thrasher in the honor of Charles Bendire.
External links
- BirdLife - Bendire's Thrasher
- Bendire's Thrasher photo gallery CalPhotos
- Bendire's Thrasher photo gallery VIREO
- Photo-High Res; Article "Migratory Bird Center"-Smithsonian
Book
- England, A. S. and W. F. Laudenslayer, Jr. 1993. Bendire’s Thrasher (Toxostoma bendirei). In The Birds of North America, No. 71 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists’ Union.
Articles
- Buttery RF. (1971). Bendires Thrasher Nesting in Colorado. Colorado Field Ornithologist. vol 9, no 29.
- Chapman FM. (1981). Notes on the Plumage of North American Birds. American Birds. vol 35, no 2.
- Darling JL. (1970). New Breeding Records of Toxostoma-Curvirostre and Toxostoma-Bendirei in New-Mexico. Condor. vol 72, no 3. pp. 366–367.
- England AS & Laudenslayer WFJ. (1989). Distribution and Seasonal Movements of Bendire's Thrasher in California USA. Western Birds. vol 20, no 3. pp. 97–124.
- Farnsworth A. (2001). WatchList species as viewed through the Christmas Bird Count database. American Birds. vol 102, pp. 29–31.
- Farrand JJ. (1990). Lieutenant Bendire's Thrasher. American Birds. vol 44, no 3. pp. 351–352.
- Kaufman K & Bowers R. (1990). Curve-Billed Thrasher and Bendire's Thrasher. American Birds. vol 44, no 3. pp. 359–362.
- Mills A. (1992). First confirmed Canadian sight record of Bendire's thrasher, Toxostoma bendirei. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 106, no 3. pp. 404–405.
- Sodhi NS. (1987). Occurrence of Bird Nests on Jumping Cholla Cacti. Western Birds. vol 18, no 4.
- Sodhi NS. (1992). Growth of nestling merlins, Falco columbarius. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 106, no 3. pp. 387–389.
- Zink RM, Dittmann DL, Klicka J & Blackwell-Rago RC. (1999). Evolutionary patterns of morphometrics, allozymes, and mitochondrial DNA in thrashers (genus Toxostoma). Auk. vol 116, no 4. pp. 1021–1038.