WatchList Species Account for Bendire’s Thrasher (Toxostoma bendirei)

Qualifies for the list as a Red List Species

Photo: Bill Hubick

Bendire’s Thrasher, easily confused with the often sympatric Long-billed Thrasher and even the Sage Thrasher, lives in sparse desert habitats in the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico where it forages principally on the ground, feeding on arthropods, seeds and berries. It withdraws from the northern part of its range in the winter. Its distribution during breeding is patchy within its range; it is found in relatively open grassland, shrubland, and woodland with scattered shrubs and trees, or spinescent shrubs and cacti. It is not found within denser habitats such as riparian woodland. Plants associated with this breeding habitat At higher elevations and at the northern end of its range, it is found in sagebrush with scattered junipers.

Since the bird is rarely detecte during Breeding Bird Surveys, there is little information on population trends, but it may be expanding its range in New Mexico, perhaps due to grazing and an increase in junipers. Some authors suggest that its range has expanded due to clearing and agriculuture, while others state it has declined due to habitat destruction. Populations around Tucson have disappeared due to dense urbanization; in California there may be a negative effect from off-road vehicles and from harvest of Joshua Trees and other desert plants. Better population information is needed to reach an assessment of its true status.