Brown Thrasher
Brown Thrasher has fallen sharply: down 59% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Brown Thrasher
A large, rufous, long-tailed mimic of dense brush and woodland edges, the Brown Thrasher has one of the largest song repertoires of any North American bird.
- Size
- 9–12 in long, about 2.4 oz (23–30 cm, 68 g)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and other invertebrates raked from leaf litter, plus nuts and berries.
- Range
- Recorded on 2,736 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 41 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Mimidae · Forest birds
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Notable Brown Thrasher TrendsNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →
Brown Thrasher has fallen sharply in surveyed states: down 59% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Brown Thrasher Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Brown Thrasher is projected to fall about 28% by 2029 — from 1.9 in 2024 to a central estimate of 1.4 (95% range 0.65–2.1). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±25.2%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
Where the Brown Thrasher Is Detected
BBS routes recording Brown Thrasher, sized by most recent count.
Brown Thrasher Population Trend by State
Brown Thrasher Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
Brown Thrasher Conservation Status
Least Concern
The IUCN Red List rates this species as Least Concern. Our route-weighted index shows it down about 59% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.