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Bird

Brown Thrasher

Toxostoma rufum

Lives in North Carolina all year and nests here. Found in all 100 counties, across 17 habitats.

Here
All year
Nesting
Nests here
Range
All 100 counties
Habitats
17

At a glance

Group
Birds
Here
All year
Nesting
Nests here
Range
All 100 counties
Habitats
17
Habitat models
Summer, Winter

Where it lives

The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.

Habitats in North Carolina 17

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 17

Floodplain and bottomland forests

fallen (uprooted) tree
WinterAtlantic Coastal Plain Blackwater Stream Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier; Southern Piedmont Large Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier; Central Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems; Southern Piedmont Small Floodplain and Riparian Forest; Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Brownwater River Floodplain Forest; Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Blackwater River Floodplain Forest; Atlantic Coastal Plain Brownwater Stream Floodplain Forest; South-Central Interior Small Stream and RiparianNamed place / source context. Shown: Congaree Swamp National Monument floodplain forest, South Carolina; representative illustration, no exact viewpoint, a neighboring state.fallen (uprooted) tree, John Dawson, by1988. Public domain. Source record.

Forests and woodlands

Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain.
SummerWinterSouthern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Loblolly Pine ModifierNamed place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Pine flatwoods

Georgia Pines
WinterCentral Atlantic Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and FlatwoodsGeorge Inness, Georgia Pines (1890): tall, straight pines over an open, grassy floor in a south Georgia pine woods. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Georgia pine woods (George Inness, 1890; site not named), a neighboring state.Georgia Pines, George Inness (1825-1894), 1890. Public domain. Source record.

Rich cove forests

Cove hardwood forest
SummerWinterSouthern and Central Appalachian Cove ForestRegional / representative. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee; representative habitat composite, not a documented exact viewpointCove hardwood forest, Hynes, Robert 'Bob', by 2012. Public domain. Source record.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Black Mountainlabel QS:Len,"Black Mountain"
SummerWinterDeveloped, Open Space; Cultivated Cropland; Pasture/Hay; Disturbed/Successional - Grass/Forb Regeneration; Utility Swath - Herbaceous; Ruderal Upland - Old FieldLyell Carr, Black Mountain: a pasture and hayfield with a log barn, rail fence and grazing cow below the Black Mountains. Black Mountain, North Carolina (Lyell E. Carr)Black Mountainlabel QS:Len,"Black Mountain", Lyell Carr, c. 1890-1912. Public domain. Source record.

Spruce-fir forests

Spruce-fir forest
SummerWinterRegional / representative. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee; representative habitat composite, not a documented exact viewpointSpruce-fir forest, Hynes, Robert 'Bob', by 2012. Public domain. Source record.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Drawing, Autumn Landscape in North Carolina, 1865–70
WinterCentral Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems; South-Central Interior Small Stream and RiparianFrederic Edwin Church, Autumn Landscape in North Carolina (1865-70): a boulder-strewn mountain river under autumn-coloured ridges. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. North Carolina mountains (Frederic Edwin Church, oil sketch 1865-70; Cooper Hewitt)Drawing, Autumn Landscape in North Carolina, 1865–70, Frederic Edwin Church, 1865-1870. Public domain. Source record.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

SummerWinterSouthern and Central Appalachian Oak Forest - Xeric; Central and Southern Appalachian Montane Oak Forest; Atlantic Coastal Plain Dry and Dry-Mesic Oak Forest; Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Hardwood Modifier; Southeastern Interior Longleaf Pine Woodland; Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest; Southern Appalachian Montane Pine Forest and Woodland; Southern Appalachian Low Mountain Pine Forest

Forest edges and thickets

Borders of forests, clearings and shrubby thickets.

SummerWinterDisturbed/Successional - Shrub Regeneration; Successional Shrub/Scrub (Other); Harvested Forest - Shrub Regeneration

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

WinterAtlantic Coastal Plain Central Maritime Forest

Moderately dry forests

Forests between dry and moist, often oak-hickory on slopes.

SummerWinterSouthern and Central Appalachian Oak Forest; Atlantic Coastal Plain Dry and Dry-Mesic Oak Forest

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

SummerWinterSouthern Piedmont Mesic Forest; Southern and Central Appalachian Cove Forest; Atlantic Coastal Plain Mesic Hardwood and Mixed Forest

Mountain balds

Treeless grassy or shrubby summits and ridges in the high mountains.

SummerWinterSouthern Appalachian Grass and Shrub Bald - Shrub Modifier

Northern hardwood forests

High mountain forests of beech, yellow birch and sugar maple, including boulderfield forests.

SummerWinter

Pine savannas

Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.

WinterCentral Atlantic Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

WinterAtlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier; Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier

Tree plantations and managed pine

Planted or intensively managed stands of pine or hardwoods grown for timber; a land use rather than a natural community.

SummerWinterDeciduous Plantation; Evergreen Plantation or Managed Pine; Managed Tree Plantation
Other habitats in its models (92)

Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in North Carolina. Those recorded in North Carolina first, the rest by region.

In North Carolina 2

  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland Winter.
  • Southern Piedmont Glade and Barrens Summer and winter.
Elsewhere in the South (44)
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Maritime Forest Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Wet Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Winter.
  • Central and South Texas Coastal Fringe Forest and Woodland Winter.
  • Central Interior Highlands Calcareous Glade and Barrens Summer.
  • Central Interior Highlands Dry Acidic Glade and Barrens Summer.
  • Cumberland Sandstone Glade and Barrens Summer and winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Limestone Forest Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Maritime Forest Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Dry Upland Hardwood Forest Summer and winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Bluff Forest Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Mesic Hardwood Forest Summer and winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Loess Bluff Forest Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Mesic Slope Forest Winter.
  • East-Central Texas Plains Pine Forest and Woodland Winter.
  • East-Central Texas Plains Post Oak Savanna and Woodland Winter.
  • East-Central Texas Plains Riparian Forest Winter.
  • Florida Peninsula Inland Scrub Winter.
  • Lower Mississippi River Dune Woodland and Forest Winter.
  • Lower Mississippi River Flatwoods Winter.
  • Mississippi Delta Maritime Forest Winter.
  • Mississippi River Alluvial Plain Dry-Mesic Loess Slope Forest Winter.
  • Mississippi River Riparian Forest Winter.
  • Nashville Basin Limestone Glade Summer and winter.
  • Northern Crowley's Ridge Sand Forest Summer.
  • Ouachita Montane Oak Forest Winter.
  • Ozark-Ouachita Dry Oak Woodland Winter.
  • Ozark-Ouachita Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Winter.
  • Ozark-Ouachita Mesic Hardwood Forest Winter.
  • Ozark-Ouachita Riparian Winter.
  • Ozark-Ouachita Shortleaf Pine-Bluestem Woodland Winter.
  • Ozark-Ouachita Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest and Woodland Winter.
  • Red River Large Floodplain Forest Winter.
  • Ridge and Valley Calcareous Valley Bottom Glade and Woodland Summer and winter.
  • South Florida Hardwood Hammock Winter.
  • South Florida Pine Flatwoods Winter.
  • South Florida Pine Rockland Winter.
  • South-Central Interior Mesophytic Forest Winter.
  • Southeast Florida Coastal Strand and Maritime Hammock Winter.
  • Southeastern Great Plains Tallgrass Prairie Summer.
  • Southern Coastal Plain Dry Upland Hardwood Forest Winter.
  • Southern Coastal Plain Oak Dome and Hammock Winter.
  • Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Winter.
  • Southern Ridge and Valley Dry Calcareous Forest Summer and winter.
  • Southwest Florida Coastal Strand and Maritime Hammock Winter.
Northeast (3)
  • Central Appalachian Oak and Pine Forest Summer and winter.
  • Central Appalachian Pine-Oak Rocky Woodland Summer and winter.
  • Northeastern Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Summer.
Midwest (6)
  • North-Central Interior Beech-Maple Forest Summer.
  • North-Central Interior Dry Oak Forest and Woodland Summer.
  • North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland Summer.
  • North-Central Interior Maple-Basswood Forest Summer.
  • North-Central Interior Oak Savanna Summer.
  • North-Central Oak Barrens Summer.
Land cover and other classes (37)
  • Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland - Hardwood Summer and winter.
  • Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland - Pine Modifier Summer and winter.
  • Arkansas Valley Prairie and Woodland Summer.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-Line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Winter.
  • Central Appalachian Riparian - Forest Modifier Winter.
  • Developed, Low Intensity Summer and winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Woodland Modifier Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest - Hardwood Modifier Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Modifier Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Plain Oak-Hickory Upland - Hardwood Modifier Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Plain Oak-Hickory Upland - Juniper Modifier Winter.
  • Eastern Highland Rim Prairie and Barrens - Dry Modifier Summer and winter.
  • Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
  • Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier Winter.
  • Harvested Forest - Grass/Forb Regeneration Summer and winter.
  • Introduced Upland Vegetation - Annual Grassland Summer and winter.
  • Introduced Upland Vegetation - Forbland Summer and winter.
  • Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland Summer and winter.
  • Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland and Forbland Summer and winter.
  • Introduced Upland Vegetation - Shrub Summer and winter.
  • Mississippi River Floodplain and Riparian Forest Winter.
  • Modified/Managed Southern Tall Grassland Summer and winter.
  • Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer and winter.
  • Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest - Virginia/Pitch Pine Modifier Summer and winter.
  • Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest-Hardwood Modifier Summer and winter.
  • Recently Burned Summer and winter.
  • Recently Burned Forest Summer and winter.
  • Recently Burned Grassland Summer and winter.
  • Recently Burned Shrubland Summer and winter.
  • Recently Logged Areas Summer and winter.
  • Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer and winter.
  • Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-Heath Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer and winter.
  • Southern Ridge and Valley Dry Calcareous Forest - Pine modifier Summer and winter.
  • The model treats open patches, forest edges and extensive shrub cover differently.

All habitats

Seasons in North Carolina

  • Year-round: nests here, in 97 of 100 counties.
  • Summer: nests here, in 17 of 100 counties.

Food plants

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Plants matched by genus.

Native plants in these genera 7

Plant genera in its diet records (4)
  • Celtis 4 diet records. 3 native plants in North Carolina
  • Condalia 2 diet records. 0 native plants in North Carolina
  • Diospyros 2 diet records. 1 native plant in North Carolina
  • Toxicodendron 2 diet records. 3 native plants in North Carolina

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Also found in its main habitats

Its main habitats in North Carolina, by how much of its habitat model each one is, with the birds most characteristic of each and the plants that grow wild there. Shared habitat, not food.

Brown Thrasher uses many habitats in North Carolina; these are its 3 most characteristic.

Dry forests and woodlands

Birds 54

Plants 217

All of dry forests and woodlands in North Carolina

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Birds 90

Plants 1314

All of roadsides, fields and disturbed ground in North Carolina

Forest edges and thickets

Birds 41

Plants 231

All of forest edges and thickets in North Carolina

USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models.

Sources