Arizona Birding
2010 page 7 |
Thrashers and Sparrows |
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Thrasher spot at
Salome and Baseline on 24 January 2010. |
Scroll down for 8
photos then go to page 8. |
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Crissal Thrasher
was singing in the open at
Salome and Baseline on 24 January 2010. We identified it by its
large size, plain breast and belly without streaks or spots, rich
chestnut crissum, dark malar stripe and long decurved bill. Its eye
colour is brownish. It is darker than Le Conte's Thrasher. |
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Le Conte`s Thrasher at
Salome and Baseline on 24 January 2010 was a real skulker though it
stood on the top of the bush for about 30 seconds then ran off along
the ground. Le Conte’s Thrasher has a dark eye and bill. Its breast
and belly are unstreaked and it has a contrastingly dark tail.
Compared to Crissal Thrasher it has lighter grayish-brown
upperparts, its crissum is a lighter buffy chestnut brown, and its
bill is shorter and less deeply curved, Its face is plainer, lacking
the dark malar stripe of Crissal Thrasher. |
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Bendire`s Thrasher at
Salome and Baseline on 24 January 2010 is told by its faintly
streaked breast, faint wingbars, yellow-orange iris and buffy
crissum. Its bill is longer than Sage Thrasher but shorter than
Curve-billed Thrasher. |
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Sage Thrasher at Santa
Cruz Flats on 26 January 2010 is the smallest thrasher. It's not shy
and stood in the open for several minutes. It has a bright yellow
iris, white wingbars and distinct streaks on the breast and belly.
Its crissum is pale buffy. Its bill is shorter and straighter than
Bendire's. |
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Curve-billed Thrasher
was singing its beautiful song at Gilbert Water Ranch on 25 January 2010.
It was the most common thrasher we saw. In many places it was
singing or feeding on the ground by tossing the leaf litter and
digging vigorously into the soil. Told by its long black decurved
bill and bright orange iris, it is mottled on the breast and has a
buffy crissum. |
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Sage Sparrow at Salome
and Baseline on 24 January 2010 |
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Lark Sparrow at Sasco
Road near Red Rock on 20 January 2010 |
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Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii at Salome and Baseline on 24
January 2010. We saw White-crowned Sparrows in every habitat ranging
from desert to higher elevations such as Madera Canyon. They were
very common. |
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End of Arizona page 7
now go to
Arizona 8
or click on any link below. |
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