Crissal Thrasher
Toxostoma crissale
The bird grows to 32 centimetres (13 in), and has a deeply curved bill. The eyes are dull yellow. Bird expert Roger Tory Peterson described its singing as sweeter and less spasmodic than other thrashers. It can be found near desert streams in dense underbrush, mesquite thickets, willows, scrub oak, high elevations in manzanita, and in the low desert near canyon chaparral. The bird seldom flies in the open. As such, the crissal thrasher rarely flies, preferring to walk or run around its territory and will mostly run for cover when disturbed by a potential predator.
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Grey Thrasher
Toxostoma cinereum
The gray thrasher is 21.4 to 25.0 cm (8.4 to 9.8 in) long. Four males weighed 58.6 to 69.8 g (2.07 to 2.46 oz) and a female 54.4 g (1.92 oz). It is gray-brown above with cinnamon tones on the rump. Its underparts are white with arrow-shaped black spots. The outer tail feathers have white tips. Its eyes are golden yellow. The subspecies are similar, with T. c. mearnsi being somewhat darker overall. Voice: The gray thrasher's song is "a loud, fairly scratchy warbling...repeated two or three times"', and often sung from a high open perch. Its calls include "a rolled, rippling to rough whirr-rr-rr or chirr-rri-rrit, and a gruff chrek".
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Where you might meet both
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Play today's Daily BirdPhotos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Crissal Thrasher and Grey Thrasher.