The Brown Thrasher is another familiar resident of backyards, gardens and woods here in North Carolina.
These fierce looking birds are talented mimics, nearly as talented as their close relative, the Northern Mockingbird.

Their calls are generally made up of a few repeated notes, the most common of which sounds like a loud whirring kiss. Additional calls include harsh chirps, muted whistles, and metallic hissing noises.
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I photographed this one at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh as he was searching for food under the box hedges. It was interesting to see one at close range because usually they are a bit shy.
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Brown Thrashers are primarily a ground foraging species of bird. Using their long, slightly curved bill as a rake, they’ll sweep the leaf litter around to uncover delicacies such as insects, fallen seeds, and berries.
They are sometimes quite noisy as they go about the business of finding their next meal. Often sticking to dense undergrowth, the sounds of scraping of dry leaves and their loud whirring chirps are a distinctive clue that one is nearby.

Photo by @sally_siko
Canon 5Ds