Sage Thrasher
Sage Thrasher has surged: up 153% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
About the Sage Thrasher
The Sage Thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus) is a North American member of the Mockingbirds & Thrashers (Mimidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the arid-land birds.
- Size
- 8–12 in long (20–30 cm) — a slender, long-tailed songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Deserts, dry scrub and brushland of the Southwest.
- Diet
- Seeds, insects and cactus fruit of arid-land plants.
- Range
- Recorded on 549 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 14 states, most concentrated in the Great Basin.
- Family
- Mimidae · Arid-land birds
Notable Sage Thrasher Trends
Sage Thrasher has surged in surveyed states: up 153% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
Sage Thrasher Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Sage Thrasher is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 1.4 (95% range 0.72–2.0). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±45.2%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.4 | 0.69 | 2.0 |
| 2026 | 1.4 | 0.70 | 2.0 |
| 2027 | 1.4 | 0.70 | 2.0 |
| 2028 | 1.4 | 0.71 | 2.0 |
| 2029 | 1.4 | 0.72 | 2.0 |
Where the Sage Thrasher Is Detected
BBS routes recording Sage Thrasher, sized by most recent count.
Sage Thrasher Population Trend by State
| Arizona | -85% | 1970 | 18 |
| California | +286% | 1973 | 31 |
| Colorado | +798% | 1970 | 66 |
| Idaho | +106% | 1971 | 40 |
| Montana | -61% | 1970 | 40 |
| Nebraska | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Nevada | -32% | 1970 | 46 |
| New Mexico | +158% | 1972 | 19 |
| North Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Oregon | +49% | 1970 | 48 |
| South Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Utah | -10% | 1970 | 97 |
| Washington | +89% | 1972 | 32 |
| Wyoming | +96% | 1970 | 106 |
Sage Thrasher Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Great Basin | -29% | 1970 | 199 |
| Northern Rockies | +114% | 1970 | 119 |
| Sierra Nevada | +164% | 1982 | 5 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | +151% | 1970 | 141 |
| Badlands and Prairies | -31% | 1970 | 53 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | -74% | 1982 | 16 |
Sage Thrasher Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 153% 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.