The brown thrasher, found across eastern and central North America, is recognized for its distinctive appearance and wide-ranging vocalizations. This species has a varied and adaptable diet, adjusting its food sources based on seasonal availability.
What They Eat
Brown thrashers are omnivorous, consuming a mix of animal and plant matter that shifts throughout the year. In spring and early summer, animal matter, primarily insects and other invertebrates, forms the majority of their diet, sometimes comprising up to 63% of their intake. They prey on a diverse array of insects, including beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, cicadas, and various caterpillars. Other invertebrates like spiders, earthworms, snails, millipedes, and sowbugs are also consumed. Nestlings are fed a high-protein diet of larvae, arthropods, and small insects for rapid growth.
As late summer and autumn arrive, their diet incorporates more plant-based foods, with fruits and berries becoming a substantial part of their intake. They consume a variety of wild fruits, including elderberries, mulberries, pokeberries, wild grapes, blueberries, raspberries, hackberries, holly, and huckleberries. Plant material can account for up to 37% of their overall diet.
When other food sources become less abundant, particularly in winter, brown thrashers supplement their diet with seeds and nuts. Acorns are a favored food in the fall, and they also consume seeds like millet, corn, and black sunflower seeds. Occasionally, they may consume small vertebrates, though these instances are rare. This opportunistic prey includes small lizards, frogs, salamanders, and even small snakes.
How They Find Food
Brown thrashers primarily forage on the ground. They vigorously rake through leaf litter and soil with their strong, slightly downcurved bills. This “thrashing” motion helps them expose insects, other invertebrates, and plant material like acorns and berries buried beneath debris. They also use their bills to probe into the earth or rotting wood, and may swipe the ground in side-to-side motions to locate prey.
Beyond ground foraging, brown thrashers also seek food in vegetation. They forage in shrubs and low trees, gleaning insects and spiders directly from foliage. Berries and fruits are plucked from plants, and they may also obtain seeds from weed stems.
The preferred habitats of brown thrashers, including dense shrubbery, thickets, woodland edges, and overgrown clearings, provide ample opportunities for their foraging techniques. They spend a significant portion of their time near or on the ground, effectively utilizing their specialized bill for uncovering food.