Eight species of thrashers nest in the United States, but only one is found east of the Mississippi River.  Other than parts of southern Canada, Brown Thrashers  live exclusively in the United States.  They nest all across the eastern United States and as far west as southeastern Alberta and eastern Texas.  During winter, they migrate to the southeastern United States, staying as far north as southern Maryland.  Brown Thrashers are common year-round in Georgia, where they are the official state bird.  They were also the inspiration for the name of the Atlanta Thrashers, a professional hockey team.

Brown Thrashers are fairly common nesting birds here in the Susquehanna Valley.  Search for them in brushy hedgerows or dense shrubby areas within forests.  Much like their relative, the Northern Mockingbird, thrashers have a beautiful, whistled song.  Learning their song is the best way to find them, because they spend the majority of their time on the ground, hidden by leaves and branches.  In the spring, they specialize in finding ground-dwelling insects.  This time of year, they’ve shifted their focus to berries and other fruit as they prepare to migrate.

I got a close-up photo of the thrasher below after seeing it get blown out of the air by a passing vehicle.  The bird was momentarily stunned and was sitting in the middle of the road.  I picked him up to keep him from getting run over.  It had recovered by the time I took a few pictures, and I watched it fly away into the bushes.