SAVING BENDIRE’S THRASHER
Bendire’s thrashers are songbirds native to the arid lands of the southwestern United States and northwest Mexico. These secretive animals spend much of their time foraging on the ground, often run with their long tails cocked over their backs, and are most noticeable during the breeding season, when males sing a rich, variable warble.
Natural History
During the breeding season, males sing from perches and help females build their nests — usually in shrubs, trees, or cacti. Nests are shaped like cups and lined with soft materials; females are the main incubators.
Like most thrashers, Bendire’s thrashers primarily look for food on the ground, using their bills to dig out insects. Once in a while they also eat fruit.
This species is easily overlooked as it moves on the desert floor, darting in and out of bushes.
Population Status
The global population of Bendire’s thrashers is estimated to be 83,000, with about 70 to 80% of individuals breeding in the United States. The 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report named Bendire’s thrashers one of the country’s 42 Red Alert Tipping Point Species — bird species that have lost more than half their populations within the past 50 years and whose declines require immediate and urgent action. In those past five decades, Bendire’s thrashers have lost almost 90% of their U.S. population to the loss and degradation of their desert habitat. Further population declines could push these birds over the cliff of extinction.
Threats
One of the main threats to Bendire’s thrashers and their desert habitat is unchecked sprawl. Arizona, which contains about half the global thrasher population, has some of the nation’s fastest-growing cities that have historically grown outward rather than up, encroaching on pristine desert habitat. The human population of Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties — counties that include core thrasher habitat and the cities of Phoenix and Tucson — is expected to keep growing: By 2050 it’s projected to be more than double its 2005 number.
Making matters worse, the proposed Interstate 11, a 280-mile highway between Nogales and Wickenburg, Arizona, would pave over areas where large thrasher populations live.
Another serious threat to Bendire’s thrashers is climate change. Native arid-land vegetation is expected to shift northward, and the birds will go with it — but we don’t know if this shift will be fast enough to keep up with the pace of climate change. Already living at the edge of their heat tolerance, Bendire’s thrashers will likely suffer dehydration, overheating, and reduced fertility due to a hotter and drier climate.
On top of all that — and compounding these threats — industrial activity in the form of data centers, warehouses, and large-scale solar facilities is expected to increase substantially within the thrasher’s habitat.
Other significant threats include wildfires fueled by invasive species, off-road vehicles, and mining.
Our Campaign
To save Bendire’s thrashers from extinction, the Center has petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect these birds under the Endangered Species Act. When a species gets protected, the Act requires the Service to draft a recovery plan, which is a roadmap outlining actions to help the species recover and, eventually, thrive in the wild. The Service must also designate critical habitat to protect the lands and waters the species needs to survive and recover.
The Act requires other federal agencies to consult with the Service to make sure any actions they fund, permit, or carry out don’t jeopardize protected species or harm their critical habitat. In Bendire’s thrashers’ case, that means that Endangered Species Act protection could limit unfettered development in sensitive desert ecosystems. The Service can also apply protections like prohibiting people from harassing or capturing the birds.
Check out our press releases to learn more about the Center’s actions to save Bendire’s thrashers.
