Sage Thrasher
Oreoscoptes montanus
Also known as: Mountain Mocking Bird
About This Species
A sagebrush-steppe specialist across the western United States, and the smallest of the North American thrashers. Males sing a long, musical, warbling song from the top of an exposed shrub, which is often the easiest way to locate one before spotting the bird itself. It forages mostly on the ground for insects and occasionally berries, and is most vocal and visible in spring during the breeding season.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Sagebrush habitat is slow to recover from trampling, so stay on established trails rather than cutting through shrubs to get closer to a singing bird.
- Give extra space to any bird showing signs of nest-defence behaviour, since sagebrush nests are low and easily disturbed.
- No special legal protections apply beyond general wildlife law, but the fragility of the habitat itself is reason enough for caution.
LCAvesPasseriformesMimidae
Seasonal Activity
151,945 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Mimidae
Photo
(c) Cindy "Annie" Howland-Hodson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Cindy "Annie" Howland-Hodson
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.