| Toxostoma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Mimidae |
| Genus: | Toxostoma Wagler, 1831 |
| Type species | |
| Toxostoma vetula [1] Wagler, 1831 | |
Toxostoma is a genus of bird in the family Mimidae. This genus contains most of the birds called thrashers, and accordingly members of this genus are sometimes referred to as the "typical thrashers".
They measure 22 to 32 cm long. Its tail is straight and quite long, as much or more than the body. As in the mulattoes and the mockingbirds, the bill is curved downwards, and is generally long, although it varies according to the species. Its plumage is opaque, brownish or greyish, with darker wings and tail. On the wings there are usually stripes of a lighter shade. The feathers on the throat, chest and belly are usually light (white or greyish) and in most species these parts of the body have dark spots. The eyes can be yellow, orange or reddish.
They generally feed on insects, but also on fruits, seeds, worms, molluscs and, occasionally, small reptiles.
Most are songbirds that make musical sounds, and are therefore prized as cage birds. Some species also have migratory habits, since in summer they move to the south of their nesting area. They prefer desert or semi-desert habitats and areas of shrubby vegetation; some species inhabit forests, and only one (T. guttatum) is tropical.
The genus name Toxostoma comes from the Ancient Greek toxon, "bow" or "arch" and stoma, "mouth". [2]
The genus contains the following species:
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Toxostoma ocellatum | Ocellated thrasher | Mexico between Puebla and Oaxaca |
 | Toxostoma rufum | Brown thrasher | eastern and central United States and southern and central Canada |
| Toxostoma guttatum | Cozumel thrasher | island of Cozumel off the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. | |
 | Toxostoma bendirei | Bendire's thrasher | southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. |
 | Toxostoma curvirostre | Curve-billed thrasher | Mexico and to the deserts of southwestern United States. |
 | Toxostoma lecontei | LeConte's thrasher | southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. |
 | Toxostoma crissale | Crissal thrasher | Southwestern United States (western Texas, southern New Mexico, southern Arizona, southeastern California, extreme southern Nevada, and extreme southwestern Utah) to central Mexico. |
 | Toxostoma redivivum | California thrasher | California and Baja California. |
 | Toxostoma cinereum | Gray thrasher | Baja California peninsula of Mexico. |
 | Toxostoma longirostre | Long-billed thrasher | South Texas and eastern Mexico. |
The mimids are the New World family of passerine birds, Mimidae, that includes thrashers, mockingbirds, tremblers, and the New World catbirds. As their name suggests, these birds are notable for their vocalization, especially some species' remarkable ability to mimic a wide variety of birds and other sounds heard outdoors. They are commonly referred to as mimic thrushes but are not, in fact, thrushes.
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae, common name of Sturnid. The Sturnidae are named for the genus Sturnus, which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. The family contains 128 species which are divided into 36 genera. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent plumage. Starlings are native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as northern Australia and the islands of the tropical Pacific. Several European and Asian species have been introduced to these areas, as well as North America, Hawaii, and New Zealand, where they generally compete for habitats with native birds and are considered to be invasive species. The starling species familiar to most people in Europe and North America is the common starling, and throughout much of Asia and the Pacific, the common myna is indeed common.
The gray catbird, also spelled grey catbird, is a medium-sized North American and Central American perching bird of the mimid family. It is the only member of the "catbird" genus Dumetella. Like the black catbird, it is among the basal lineages of the Mimidae, probably a closer relative of the Caribbean thrasher and trembler assemblage than of the mockingbirds and Toxostoma thrashers. In some areas it is known as the slate-colored mockingbird.
The Cozumel thrasher is a bird from the mockingbird family (Mimidae), which is endemic to the island of Cozumel off the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. It is believed to be the most critically endangered species of bird in Mexico – if it indeed still exists, which is probable but not certain.
Bendire's thrasher is a medium-sized species of thrasher native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is 23–28 centimetres (9.1–11.0 in) long, with a long tail and a medium-sized bill. Coloration is grayish-brown on its upperparts with paler, faintly dark streaked underparts. The base of the lower bill is often pale, the eyes are bright yellow, and the tips of the tail are white-tipped.
The curve-billed thrasher is a medium-sized mimid native to most of Mexico and to the deserts of southwestern United States. It is a non-migratory species, and throughout most of its range it is the most common desert thrasher. Several subspecies have been classified since 1827, though there is no consensus on the number. Allopatric speciation is believed to have played a major role in the variations of the curve-billed. It is grey-brown overall with a slightly curved bill, and is similar in appearance to the related Bendire's thrasher. It generally resides in desert regions of the United States and Mexico, but can inhabit areas predominately populated by humans.
LeConte's thrasher is a pale bird found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It prefers to live in deserts with very little vegetation, where it blends in with the sandy soils. LeConte's thrashers are nonmigratory birds that reside in the same territory annually. Although the species has been decreasing in certain areas of its range, in particular California, it still is abundant enough to not be considered for vulnerable status.
The crissal thrasher is a large thrasher found in the Southwestern United States to central Mexico.
The California thrasher is a large member of family Mimidae found primarily in chaparral habitat in California in the United States and Baja California in Mexico. It is the only species of the genus Toxostoma throughout most of its range.
The long-billed thrasher is a medium-sized resident songbird of South Texas and eastern Mexico. It bears a strong resemblance to its close relative the brown thrasher in appearance, calls, and various other behaviors; however, the two species do not overlap in range except in the winter when the brown thrasher will temporarily reside in the northern range of the long-billed.
Haliastur is a genus of medium-sized diurnal birds of prey. It consists of two species of kites which form part of the subfamily Milvinae; some authorities place these species in the genus Milvus, despite clear differences in behaviour, voice and plumage.
The black catbird is a songbird species in the monotypic genus Melanoptila, part of the family Mimidae. At 19–20.5 cm (7.5–8.1 in) in length and 31.6–42 g (1.11–1.48 oz) in mass, it is the smallest of the mimids. Sexes appear similar, with glossy black plumage, black legs and bill, and dark brownish eyes. The species is endemic to the Yucatán Peninsula, and is found as far south as Campeche, northern Guatemala and northern Belize. Although there are historical records from Honduras and the US state of Texas, the species is not now known to occur in either location. It is found at low elevations in semi-arid to humid habitats ranging from shrubland and abandoned farmland to woodland with thick understory, and is primarily sedentary.
The ocellated thrasher is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is endemic to Mexico.
The brown thrasher, sometimes erroneously called the brown thrush or fox-coloured thrush, is a bird in the family Mimidae, which also includes the New World catbirds and mockingbirds. The brown thrasher is abundant throughout the eastern and central United States and southern and central Canada, and it is the only thrasher to live primarily east of the Rockies and central Texas. It is the state bird of Georgia.
| Authority control databases: National |
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