Curve-Billed Thrasher
Toxostoma curvirostre
The Curve-Billed Thrasher is resident throughout its range, which includes most of Mexico, parts of Southern Arizona and New Mexico, and Texas. In Tucson, these birds are regulars in the residential neighborhoods. Observers will hear the Whit-Wheet calls of these birds at a distance that announces their presence well before we see them. Western birds and eastern birds differ somewhat in appearance, with the Texas (eastern) group having a lighter breast with more contrasting spots.
All members of the Toxostoma genus have long, decurved bills suited for thrashing through leaf litter under thickets of tangled brush, and searching for seeds or insect prey. Most of these thrasher species are shy and retiring. They avoid human occupied habitats. Not so for the Curve-Billed Thrasher, who’ve roamed through the neighborhoods in southern Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas when I’ve met them.
Today, science recognises seven subspecies of Curve-Billed Thrasher:
- T. c. celsum lives in the southern USA from Colorado to Kansas and northwestern Oklahoma, southeastern Arizona, New Mexico, west Texas and north-central Mexico.
- T. c. oberholseri lives in south Texas and northeastern Mexico.
- T. c. curvirostre lives in central-southern Mexico.
- T. c. palmeri lives in southwestern and central Arizona and northwestern Mexico.
- T. c. maculatum lives in northwestern Mexico in Sonora, Sinaloa, and Chihuahua.
- T. c. insularum lives on islands off northwestern Mexico in the Gulf of California.
- T. c. occidentale lives in west-central Mexico from Sinaloa to Jalisco.
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: Northeastern Tucson Arizona, near the Catalina Highway. |
Date Taken: 2015:10:20 13:47 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 380 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: D721320-CurveBilledThrasher |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: Northeastern Tucson Arizona, near the Catalina Highway. |
Date Taken: 2015:10:20 14:02 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 |
File Name: D721371-CurveBilledThrasher |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: Northeastern Tucson Arizona, near the Catalina Highway. |
Date Taken: 2015:10:20 14:05 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 |
File Name: D721386-CurveBilledThrasher |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: Northeastern Tucson Arizona, near the Catalina Highway. |
Date Taken: 2015:10:21 16:18 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 |
File Name: D721476-CurveBilledThrasher |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: Northeastern Tucson Arizona, near the Catalina Highway. |
Date Taken: 2015:10:22 8:42 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: D721520-CurveBilledThrasher |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: Northeastern Tucson Arizona, near the Catalina Highway. |
Date Taken: 2015:10:22 9:12 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: D721607-CurveBilledThrasher |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: Northeastern Tucson Arizona, near the Catalina Highway. |
Date Taken: 2015:10:22 9:13 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: D721621-CurveBilledThrasher |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: Northeastern Tucson Arizona, near the Catalina Highway. |
Date Taken: 2015:10:23 8:43 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 330 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: D721657-CurveBilledThrasher |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Curve-billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: (Toxostoma curvirostre) Seen in Tucson, Arizona. Near the Catalina Highway USA 2000-11-24. |
Date Taken: 2000:11:24 8:46 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: |
File Name: A0K24a02-CurveBilledThrasher |
| © 2000 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: (Toxostoma curvirostre) Found in Tucson, Arizona. Near the Catalina Highway USA 2003-09-25. |
Date Taken: 2003:09:25 10:22 |
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Location:
Tanque Verde |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/7.6, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD_2622CurveBilledThrasher |
| © 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: (Toxostoma curvirostre) Found in Catalina State Park, North-West of Tucson, Arizona USA 2004-06-25. |
Date Taken: 2004:06:25 11:45 |
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Location:
Catalina State Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 |
File Name: JCD_7018CurveBilledThrasher |
| © 2004 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: The Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Superior Arizona is a well known desert oasis and a great place to meet birds. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:23 12:03 |
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Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X3814-Boyce-Thompson-Arboretum |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: The loud whistled calls of these birds could be heard long before these suburban birds were seen. Thatcher Arizona, in the Gila River Valley. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:21 10:17 |
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Location:
West 1st Street |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X2331-Thatcher-Arizona |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: These suburban birds were keeping an eye on the neighborhood feral cats in Thatcher Arizona, in the Gila River Valley. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:21 10:12 |
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Location:
West 1st Street |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X2294-Thatcher-Arizona |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: The loud whistled calls of these birds could be heard long before these suburban birds were seen. Thatcher Arizona, in the Gila River Valley. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:21 10:11 |
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Location:
West 1st Street |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X2256-Thatcher-Arizona |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: The loud whistled calls of these birds could be heard long before these suburban birds were seen. Thatcher Arizona, in the Gila River Valley. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:21 10:07 |
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Location:
West 1st Street |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X2236-Thatcher-Arizona |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: Arivaca in rural south-central Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2017:05:03 16:09 |
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Location:
La Siesta Campgrounds |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/6400 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X9995 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: Agua Caliente Park in Northeastern Tucson, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2017:04:24 8:26 |
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Location:
Agua Caliente Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/5000 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X6755 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: This bird is resident at Agua Caliente Park in Tucson Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2017:04:24 8:27 |
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Location:
Agua Caliente Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/5000 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X6760 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: This was the first bird to meet me on this morning. Because of the working well and wind pump at the site of the old Sam Nail Ranch homestead in Big Bend, it is a great place to meet a variety of birds. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:07 9:31 |
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Location:
Sam Nail Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/6400 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X3147-SamNailRanch |
| (C)2019 Jack Daynes |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: This was the first bird to meet me this morning while on the trail to the working well and wind pump at the site of the old Sam Nail Ranch homestead in Big Bend. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:07 9:30 |
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Location:
Sam Nail Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/5000 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X3142-SamNailRanch |
| (C)2019 Jack Daynes |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: Most of the birds I met at the La Cueva Picnic Area were very shy and resisted posing for the camera. A day trip to Drippings Springs after a late winter storm. Near Las Cruces New Mexico. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:04 15:12 |
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Location:
Dripping Springs |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/8000 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X2995-DrippingSprings |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: These birds looked closer to the "Texas" varient of the species. In the motel parking lot, with fading light, I had to take pictures to make sure of who I was seeing. One bird had a short bill (juvenile). |
Date Taken: 2020:03:01 16:49 |
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Location:
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/320 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X2703-LasCruces |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: I spent the day meeting birds at the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Superior Arizona. This charismatic bird was one of the 'usual suspects' in the park. |
Date Taken: 2020:02:24 9:34 |
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Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/5000 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X0935-Boyce-Thompson |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: I spent the day meeting birds at the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Superior Arizona. This charismatic bird was one of the 'usual suspects' in the park. |
Date Taken: 2020:02:24 9:34 |
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Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/5000 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X0921-Boyce-Thompson |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: I spent the day meeting birds at the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Superior Arizona. This charismatic bird was one of the 'usual suspects' in the park. |
Date Taken: 2020:02:24 9:33 |
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Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/5000 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X0894-Boyce-Thompson |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: These are birds I met at the Gilbert Water Ranch, or Riparian Preserve which is located in the middle of the Valley of the Sun, or the Greater Phoenix Metropolian area, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2020:02:23 7:32 |
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Location:
Gilbert Water Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X9830-GilbertArizona |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: These Suburban birds in Thatcher Arizona, in the Gila River Valley. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:21 10:12 |
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Location:
West 1st Street |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X2288-Thatcher-Arizona |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: These are birds I met at the Gilbert Water Ranch, or Riparian Preserve which is located in the middle of the Valley of the Sun, or the Greater Phoenix Metropolian area, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2020:02:23 7:32 |
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Location:
Gilbert Water Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1600 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D5X9845-GilbertArizona |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: I'd been hearing the calls of Curve-Billed Thrashers in camp, and I finally got to meet them. I found these birds at a well stocked feeder in camp where I stayed in Brownsville Texas. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:17 15:54 |
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Location:
Breeze Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D503193-Breeze-Lake-TX |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: I'd been hearing the calls of Curve-Billed Thrashers in camp, and I finally got to meet them. I found these birds at a well stocked feeder in camp where I stayed in Brownsville Texas. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:17 16:00 |
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Location:
Breeze Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D503295-Breeze-Lake-TX |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Curve-Billed Thrasher(Toxostoma curvirostre) |
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Description: Curve-Billed Thrashers wandered through most of the camp at Breeze Lake. The camp where I spent April in Brownsville, Texas has a "Reseca" or Oxbow lake on its border, several feeder stations, with tall trees and grassy areas. This bird enjoyed the sunflower seeds offered in camp. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:25 18:40 |
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Location:
Breeze Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: CurveBilledThrasher_D507790-Breeze-Lake-TX |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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