Toxostoma curvirostre
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The curve-billed thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre) is a medium-sized mimid native to most of Mexico and to the deserts of southwestern United States. It is a non-migratory species, and throughout most of its range it is the most common desert thrasher. Several subspecies have been classified since 1827, though there is no consensus on the number. Allopatric speciation is believed to have played a major role in the variations of the curve-billed. It is grey-brown overall with a slightly curved bill, and is similar in appearance to the related Bendire's thrasher. It generally resides in desert regions of the United States and Mexico, but can inhabit areas predominately populated by humans.
The demeanor of the curve-billed has been described as "shy and rather wild", but it allows humans to view it closely. It is very aggressive in driving out potential threats, whether competitors for food or predators of its chicks. The curve-billed thrasher sometimes mimics several other species, though not to the extent of other mimics. It has a variety of distinctive songs, and this extensive repertoire of melodies has led it to be known as cuicacoche (songbird) in Mexico. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 8 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 9 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Curve-billed Thrasher sighting in San Antonio on a given day, based on 248 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 97th most-seen of the 255 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and June
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Curve-billed Thrasher in San Antonio on a given day, against under 5% in March–May and July–January, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Curve-billed Thrasher sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 10
Of the 10 cities where we can rate Curve-billed Thrasher sightings, San Antonio ranks 9th at under 5%. The best odds are in Phoenix (United States, about 80%), Mesa (United States, about 80%) and Mexico City (México, about 50%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Curve-billed Thrasher is recorded against all the birds logged in San Antonio (248 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
