Long-billed Thrasher
Long-billed Thrasher has surged: up 865% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
About the Long-billed Thrasher
The Long-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma longirostre) is a North American member of the Mockingbirds & Thrashers (Mimidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 8–12 in long (20–30 cm) — a slender, long-tailed songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
- Range
- Recorded on 49 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 1 state, most concentrated in the Tamaulipan Brushlands.
- Family
- Mimidae · Forest birds
Notable Long-billed Thrasher Trends
No notable trend signals for Long-billed Thrasher. See the full index history below.
Long-billed Thrasher Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Long-billed Thrasher is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.03 (95% range 0.02–0.05). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±27%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.04 |
| 2026 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.04 |
| 2027 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.04 |
| 2028 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.05 |
| 2029 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.05 |
Where the Long-billed Thrasher Is Detected
BBS routes recording Long-billed Thrasher, sized by most recent count.
Long-billed Thrasher Population Trend by State
| Texas | +748% | 1970 | 49 |
Long-billed Thrasher Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Edwards Plateau | +31% | 1996 | 3 |
| Oaks and Prairies | +449% | 1985 | 5 |
| Tamaulipan Brushlands | +707% | 1970 | 28 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | 12× | 1973 | 8 |
Long-billed Thrasher Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 865% since 1970.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.