Family: Mimidae, Mockingbirds and Thrashers view all from this family

Description ADULT Has mostly brown upperparts, including tail, but with bold white wing bars. Face is gray, iris is reddish orange, and bill is downcurved. Underparts are whitish, but with bold, black teardrop streaks. JUVENILE Similar to adult.

Dimensions Length: 11" (28 cm)

Habitat Resident of dense, woodland thickets; Lower Rio Grande Valley is a hotspot.

Observation Tips Singing males are fairly easy to see in spring.

Range Texas, Southeast

Voice Song is a series of rapid, chirping and fluty whistles, given with gusto; call is a sharp tsuup.

Discussion Structurally similar to Brown Thrasher (with which range overlaps slightly in winter), but lacks that species' reddish brown coloration overall; instead, plumage is grayer and cleaner-looking. Bill is also appreciably longer than Brown's and behavior is even more secretive, except when males are singing in early spring. Sexes are similar.