Toxostoma curvirostre
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
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 |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Curve-billed Thrasher sighting in Saguaro National Park on a given day, based on 7,685 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 220 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Curve-billed Thrasher in Saguaro National Park on a given day, against about 50% in January, the lowest month. That is one of Saguaro National Park's wettest months, with about 55 mm of rain against almost none in May.
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.
Yes
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Curve-billed Thrasher sightings, Saguaro National Park has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (Mexico, about 20%) and Big Bend National Park (United States, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Curve-billed Thrasher is recorded against all the birds logged in Saguaro National Park (7,685 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.
