Le Conte's Thrasher

Le Conte's Thrasher

Toxostoma lecontei

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Death Valley National Park

In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%

25 Verified sightings at Death Valley National Park From 2019 to 2026
244 In all 3 parks
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Le Conte's Thrasher

LeConte's thrasher (Toxostoma lecontei) is a pale bird found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It prefers to live in deserts with very little vegetation, where it blends in with the sandy soils. LeConte's thrashers are nonmigratory birds that reside in the same territory annually. Although the species has been decreasing in certain areas of its range, in particular California, it still is abundant enough to not be considered for vulnerable status.

These birds are terrestrial and only fly occasionally. Both sexes are heavily involved in the nest building, incubating, and brooding process, though each alternates with primary responsibility of the tasks. LeConte's thrashers frequently compete with species such as the northern mockingbird, loggerhead shrike and greater roadrunner, as well as being potential prey for the latter.

LeConte's thrasher is named after Dr. John Lawrence LeConte, an entomologist who eventually became president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. There are two subspecies: T.l. lecontei (Lawrence, 1851) – range is from southwestern United States (south central and eastern California, southwest Utah, and... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song1:12

United States · 2023

© Scott Olmstead · XC775888 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:35

Mexico · 2021

© Richard E. Webster · XC661415 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:48

United States · 2013

© Paul Marvin · XC141434 · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
2 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Le Conte's Thrasher in Death Valley National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Le Conte's Thrasher sighting in Death Valley National Park on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 184th most-seen of the 213 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Le Conte's Thrasher in Death Valley National Park?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Le Conte's Thrasher in Death Valley National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Le Conte's Thrasher?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Le Conte's Thrasher sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Death Valley National Park the best place to see a Le Conte's Thrasher?

3rd of 3

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Le Conte's Thrasher sightings, Death Valley National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 10%) and Joshua Tree National Park (United States, under 5%).

Where does the Le Conte's Thrasher sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Le Conte's Thrasher is recorded against all the birds logged in Death Valley National Park (25 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.

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