Gray thrasher

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The gray thrasher (Toxostoma cinereum) is a medium-sized songbird in the mockingbird family. It lives only on the Baja California peninsula in Mexico and has two subspecies: T. c. cinereum and T. c. mearnsi.

Size and appearance
- About 21.4–25 cm long and roughly 54–70 g in weight
- Gray-brown on top with cinnamon tones on the rump
- White underparts with arrow-shaped black spots
- Outer tail feathers have white tips
- Eyes are golden yellow
- Mearnsi is generally a bit darker than cinereum

Where it is found
- Endemic to Baja California, from about 31°14′ N in the north to the southern tip
- On the east side of the peninsula, it reaches only up to about 28° N
- There is a recorded sighting in Famosa Slough, San Diego County, USA
- Subspecies ranges: mearnsi in the northern half, cinereum in the southern half

Habitat and behavior
- Inhabits arid and semi-arid landscapes, open to semi-open areas with cacti, scrub, and scattered bushes and trees
- Elevation from sea level to about 1,500 m
- Forages on the ground or in low vegetation
- Diet includes arthropods and cactus fruits

Breeding
- Mearnsi breeds in March–April; cinereum in May–mid July in the far south
- Nest is a cup of twigs, lined with finer materials
- Nests are usually within 3 m of the ground
- Clutch size is 2–4 eggs

Vocalizations
- Song: a loud, fairly scratchy warbling, repeated two or three times from a high perch
- Calls: a rolled, rippling to rough whirr-rr-rr or chirr-rri-rrit, and a gruff chrek

Conservation status
- Least Concern
- Very large range and a stable population, with at least about 20,000 mature individuals