Family: Mimids (Mimidae)
Genus & Species : Toxostoma lecontei
Status: Fairly common to rare resident in the deserts of southern California and southern Arizona.
Habitat: This bird prefers open, dry, and sparsely vegetated areas of desert, sand dunes, and abandoned agricultural plains.
Best Chances: In California these thrashers can be found in Anza Borrego State Park and the Imperial Dunes. In Arizona they are found in the Barry Goldwater Range, Cabeza Prieta NWR, and the abandoned agricultural areas and deserts east of Tacna and west of the Mohawk Mountains. They are also in the desert west of the intersection of Buckeye Road and Salome Highway. These birds are best looked for in late winter or early spring when they sing from perches on brush and trees.
Recent Sightings: Ave 45E east of Tacna and the Buckeye Road/Salome Hwy area