Le Conte's Thrasher

Toxostoma lecontei

Le Conte's Thrasher is a bird named for John Lawrence Le Conte, an American entomologist. Though he was a renowed Beetle expert, he discovered this particular bird while on a Beetle-finding trip to Arizona. Le Conte ended up collecting many different birds on his Beetle trips, sending them back to the Smithsonian.

But lets learn more about this bird! The Le Conte's Thrasher is a very pale colored bird found in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It lives in very dry, desert areas that have little vegetation. They live in some of the most desolate parts of North America!

Their habitat is so dry that standing water is only present for a few days a year. Luckily these birds are able to get all the water they need from the insects that they eat. Invertebrates are their main prey, but they will eat fruits and seeds as well when they can find them.

These birds are currently listed as being of Least Concern, though they have become rare in some parts of their range. They need a Desert environment to survive, so areas in their former range that have been irrigated and developed are no longer suitable for them.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : North America
Size : Length around 11in (28cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Mimidae -- Genus : Toxostoma -- Species : T. lecontei
Image :  CPNM

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Black-chinned Laughingthrush

Continuing with our "Animals of the Western Ghats" theme-- today we have the Black-Chinned Laughingthrush, an Endanered bird that lives above elevations of 4,000ft.

This bird has a a confusing taxonomic past, and you will sometimes see it referred to as the Nilgiri or Rufus-Breasted Laughingthrush. It has also gone through 3 different genera before ending up in Trochalopteron!

Today, we know it as T. cachinnans, though it does have a few different subspecies. You can tell those apart based on their coloration and location. Different subspecies have varying amounts of grey and red on their breasts.

All of the subspecies exhibit similar behavior. They live at higher elevations hear forest edges. They forage for berries and insects either alone or in small groups. And they nest between February and June, building nests in low bushes near the ground. Two blue eggs are laid at a time, and the chicks are fully fledged after 3 weeks. Interestingly, the parents will completely deconstruct the nest after fledging!

Like the other animals we've been learning about this week, the Black-chinned Laughingthrush is in trouble due to habitat loss. They also have a small, fragmented range that does their population size no favors.

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IUCN Status : Endangered
Location : India
Size : Length up to 10in (24cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Leiothrichidae -- Genus : Trochalopteron-- Species : T. cachinnans
Image :  Lee's Birdwatching

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Raso Lark

Today's animal is named for the tiny island that it lives on-- Raso Islet in the Cape Verde chain. When I say tiny, I really mean tiny-- it is only 7 square kilometers!

No humans live on Raso, which is good for the few animals that reside there, as most are very, very endangered. Raso is the only home of the Raso Lark, which is itself critically endangered.

The Raso Lark has not been studied extensively-- there are very few of them and they live in a rather remote area. It is estimated that the population numbers around 150 individuals, but that the male to female ratio is quite off (about 2 males for every female). Reproduction is especially tough due to some of the Lark's neighbors. The island is home to the also-rare Cape Verde Giant Gecko, which loves to feed on eggs.

Raso Larks have irregular breeding seasons which are tied to the availability of food and water. Raso Islet is a volcanic island that is very dry and has little vegetation. Food and water can quickly become scarce. When food is to be found, it usually comes in the form of plant bulbs.

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IUCN Status : Critically Endangered
Location : Cape Verde
Size : Length up to 3ft (.9m), Weight up to 130lbs (65kg)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Alaudidae -- Genus : Alauda-- Species : A. razae
Image : Winkel

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Tropical Mockingbird

Mimus gilvus

The Tropical Mockingbird is a creature than can be found in South and Central America, as well as on a handful of Caribbean Islands. They are residents in there locations-- meaning they do not generally migrate. These birds live in open habitats, and can commonly be found in human-inhabited areas. They feed on insects, as well as on fruits.

These birds can be identified by their grey heads and backs, dark wings and tail, and by the two thin white stripes that run across each wing. Males and females look alike.

Unlike its closest relative, the Northern Mockingbird, Tropical Mockingbirds do not mimic the songs of other species. They sing their own tunes (which they sometimes copy from each other), and the songs can be quite long and are often repeated several times.

Attracting a mate is one of the purposes for these songs. Males will sing and build a nest. If a female responds, she will help him to finish the nest and the pair will feed and raise a clutch together. If no females respond to a singing male, he will abandon his nest and find a new location.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : South and Central America
Size : Length up to 10in (25cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Mimidae -- Genus : Mimus-- Species : M. gilvus
Image : Brian Gratwicke

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Saxual Sparrow

Passer ammodendri

The Saxual Sparrow, named for a plant whose seeds it often eats, is a relative to the Common House Sparrow. It is found in remote areas of Central Asia, and because of its range it is little studied.

Saxual Sparrows are relatively large for their type-- they can grow more than 6in in length. Males have black throats, crowns, and eye stripes. Females lack the bold black markers and are s tad duller in color overall.

The full details of this bird's behavior are unknown. We do know that they live in small flocks outside of breeding season, and during the breeding season they aren't especially social. That is most likely due to their dry habitat, where nesting sites are few and far between. We also know that they feed on insects, as well as on seeds.

We also know that there are enough of them in a large enough area for the species to be listed as Least Concern.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Asia
Size : Length up to 6.5in (17cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Passeridae -- Genus : Passer -- Species : P. ammodendri
Image : Russian Birds

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Iago Sparrow

Passer iagoensis

The Iago Sparrow is a small bird that is endemic to the Cape Verde islands, which are located in the Atlantic Ocean off of the western coast of Africa. They live in many different habitats, including urban areas and farms, as well as cliffs and plains.

The birds are sexually dimorphic when it comes to their plumage. Males have a black crown and vibrant reddish-brown feathers on the sides of their head. Females are more drab, and lack the crowns and bright cinnamon feathers.

Iago Sparrows are very social birds, and live in colonies year round. These groups are smaller during the breeding season, but can grow very large outside of it. It is believed that the birds have similar mating habits to House Sparrows, in that they build grass and feather lined nests, and produce up to 5 chicks per clutch.

Though they are endemic to only a few islands, these birds are very abundant. They are listed as being of least concern.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Cape Verde
Size : Length up to 5in (13cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Passeridae -- Genus : Passer -- Species : P. iagoensis

Image : Ze Pinho

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