Bird
Sage Thrasher
Oreoscoptes montanusAlso known as Mountain Mockingbird
Sage Thrashers fill western sagebrush oceans with long, fluid, musical songs delivered from the highest tips of woody shrubs. These secretive songbirds forage primarily on the ground, running swiftly between bushes to snatch grasshoppers, beetles, and small berries. Deep inside dense sagebrush clumps, pairs build bulky stick nests lined with fine grasses and animal hair.
SongbirdMigratoryShrubsteppe
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyGrasshoppers, Beetles, Caterpillars
Predators
- Hawks
- Snakes
- Domestic Cats
ThreatsSagebrush habitat fragmentation, invasive cheatgrass, and wildfire
HabitatsSagebrush shrubsteppe, arid grasslands, and desert scrub
Life span5–8 years
Classification
- FamilyMimidae
- SpeciesOreoscoptes montanus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Song Spotting: Listen for continuous musical warbles coming from topmost twigs early in the morning.
- Habitat Care: Stay on designated trails to avoid disturbing nests tucked low inside dense shrubs.
Habitat Partner (c) RJ Baltierra, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by RJ Baltierra · cc-by
Habitat Partner (c) Jared Shorma, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jared Shorma · cc-by
Close Relative Rhododendrites / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative no rights reserved, uploaded by Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago · cc0
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