Martinique Thrasher
Ramphocinclus brachyurus
The Martinique Thrasher (Ramphocinclus brachyurus) is a legendary mockingbirds and thrasher found only in Martinique, weighing about 50 g. The Martinique thrasher is a species of bird in the family Mimidae.
About the Martinique Thrasher
The Martinique thrasher is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. Semper and Sclater (1872) describe the white-breasted thrasher as an "inquisitive and noisy bird" that would often "keep up a constant warning chatter, and throw itself about in all sorts of contortions" when being disturbed. It is endemic to Martinique. This resident species is easy to find within its range; however, it is classified as endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species mainly due to its restricted habitat.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The Martinique thrasher is in average 23 to 25 cm long, and weight from 48 to 60 g depending on sex. An adult bird has a dark brown plumage with a white throat, breast, and belly. Its dark beak is long and slightly decurved towards the tip. Several dark bristles are located around the lores, between the red eyes and nostrils of the bird. This medium-sized passerine has long and strong black legs and can live up to 7–8 years. Males and females are sexually monomorphic, thus identical in size and coloration. This bird is difficult to sex by hand or sight due to sexual monomorphism. Voice: Vocalization repertoire of the Martinique thrasher is limited which is surprising for a species that belongs to Mimids. The Martinique thrashers often vocalize short and harsh calls, and sometimes a musical "tee-rou". Alarm calls are a "grok grok". They are used between birds to warn each other when a threat is perceived. Juveniles are located by thin "tseep" calls.
What the Martinique Thrasher sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, August, November, December, with peak activity in February. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Martinique Thrasher?
- The Martinique thrasher is in average 23 to 25 cm long, and weight from 48 to 60 g depending on sex. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Martinique Thrasher?
- The Martinique Thrasher is a small sized bird weighing about 50 g.
- Where can you see a Martinique Thrasher?
- The Martinique Thrasher is endemic to Martinique, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What does a Martinique Thrasher sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Martinique Thrasher on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Martinique Thrasher?
- The Martinique Thrasher is most easily confused with the Socorro Mockingbird, the Floreana Mockingbird and the Grey Trembler.
Learn the Martinique Thrasher for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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