brown thrasher

noun

1. a common large songbird, Toxostoma rufum, of the eastern U.S., having reddish-brown plumage.

Word History and Origins

Origin of brown thrasher¹

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10

Example Sentences

Populations of American crows, tufted titmice, gray catbirds and brown thrashers dropped below normal during the cicada emergence year—and then increased the following year, after which they stabilized.

From Scientific American

Keeping a written list of the visiting birds — goldfinches, yellow warblers, brown thrashers — made him feel connected to the memory of his birdwatching father, who died 11 years ago.

From Washington Post

Georgia picked the brown thrasher, a fiercely territorial bird with a repertoire of more than 1,000 song types.

From New York Times

But when he and his team genetically sequenced the feathers, the results surprised them: the quills came from a land-based songbird called a brown thrasher.

From Scientific American

From outside would come the resolute tapping of woodpeckers and the morning calls of gray catbirds, brown thrashers, and mockingbirds, all singing their hearts out.

From Salon