Ocellated thrasher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ocellated thrasher |
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| Conservation status | |
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Toxostoma
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| Species: |
ocellatum
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The ocellated thrasher (Toxostoma ocellatum) is a special type of bird. It belongs to the Mimidae family, which includes mockingbirds and thrashers. This bird is only found in Mexico, meaning it is endemic there. It's known for its unique spotted look.
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About Its Family
The ocellated thrasher has two main types, called subspecies. These are slightly different versions of the same species. One is named T. o. ocellatum and the other is T. o. villai.
What Does the Ocellated Thrasher Look Like?
This bird is about 26.5 to 29.5 cm (10.4 to 11.6 in) long. That's about the length of a ruler! It weighs between 77.3 to 95.8 g (2.73 to 3.38 oz). That's like a small apple.
Its top feathers are dark brown, with a slight green tint. It has a light stripe above its eye, called a supercilium. Its cheeks are brown. When its wings are folded, you can see two white stripes. The outer tail feathers have small white tips.
The feathers on its belly are whitish. They get a bit darker on its lower belly and brown on its sides. Its chest, sides, and flanks have bold black spots. These spots give the bird its "ocellated" name, which means "having small eye-like spots."
Where Does the Ocellated Thrasher Live?
The first subspecies, T. o. ocellatum, lives in central Mexico. You can find it from San Luis Potosí south to the states of Hidalgo and México. The second subspecies, T. o. villai, lives in southern Mexico. It is found between Puebla and Oaxaca.
This thrasher lives in many different places. It likes dry and semi-dry scrublands. It also lives in the bushy areas under oak and pine-oak forests. It can be found at high elevations, from 1,400 to 3,000 m (4,600 to 9,800 ft) above sea level.
What Does the Ocellated Thrasher Eat?
The ocellated thrasher usually looks for food in thick bushes and plants. It searches on the ground or very close to it. We don't know exactly what it eats. However, scientists believe it mostly eats arthropods, which are insects and spiders. It also likely eats other small creatures without backbones, and maybe even some fruits.
How Does the Ocellated Thrasher Reproduce?
We don't know much about how the ocellated thrasher raises its young. Its nest is shaped like a cup. It is made from twigs and grass. The bird builds its nest in a bush or a tree. Scientists believe that a female thrasher usually lays two eggs at a time.
What Does the Ocellated Thrasher Sound Like?
The ocellated thrasher's song is a rich and varied warbling sound. It often repeats parts of its song two or three times. The bird usually sings from the top of a bush or a tree. Its calls include a hard, slightly smacking sound like chehk or tchehk.
Is the Ocellated Thrasher in Danger?
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has looked at the ocellated thrasher. They have assessed it as being of "Least Concern." This means it's not currently considered to be in danger of disappearing. However, it lives in a fairly small area. We don't know how many of these birds there are. We also don't know if their numbers are going up or down.
