Toxostoma crissale
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The crissal thrasher (Toxostoma crissale) is a large thrasher found in the Southwestern United States (western Texas, southern New Mexico, southern Arizona, southeastern California, extreme southern Nevada, and extreme southwestern Utah) to central Mexico.
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. The bird's name is derived from the characteristic bright coloring, in contrast to the balance of its plumage, of the area between its tail and vent—a region known as the crissum.
In the early years of the study of the birds of western North America, this species was confused with the California thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum), to which it... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Crissal Thrasher sighting in Saguaro National Park on a given day, based on 118 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 114th most-seen of the 220 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.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Crissal Thrasher in Saguaro National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months. That is one of Saguaro National Park's wettest months, with about 45 mm of rain against almost none in May.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crissal 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.
4th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Crissal Thrasher sightings, Saguaro National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Big Bend National Park (United States, about 20%), Death Valley National Park (United States, about 10%) and Guadalupe Mountains National Park (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crissal Thrasher is recorded against all the birds logged in Saguaro National Park (118 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.
