SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission today to protect two declining species of desert songbirds, Bendire’s thrasher and LeConte’s thrasher, under the state’s Endangered Species Act.
Bendire’s thrasher and LeConte’s thrasher are native to arid lands of the southwestern United States and northwest Mexico.
“These thrashers are secretive, adaptable birds who’ve been able to thrive in harsh, dry deserts but they desperately need protections to shield them from habitat loss in California,” said Jeff Miller, a senior conservation advocate at the Center. “These shy birds can’t cope with rapid climate change and other threats that are reducing their sparse habitats in Southern California deserts. Without state protection, there’s a real risk California could lose both desert thrashers.”
About 5% of the global population of Bendire’s thrasher, an estimated 4,400 birds, lives in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts in southeastern California. An estimated 37,000 LeConte’s thrashers, more than 80% of the global population, inhabit California in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts and the southern San Joaquin Valley.
Over the past 50 years the number of Bendire’s thrashers has declined by 90% and LeConte’s thrashers have dropped by nearly 70% throughout their U.S. range.
Significant areas of suitable thrasher habitats have been lost to sprawl development and agriculture. Habitat fragmentation and other threats such as invasive species, altered wildfire regimes, climate change, livestock grazing, off-road vehicles, and mining are pushing both species to the brink.
The spread of invasive plants reduces the insect food and nesting shrubs that thrashers need and increases the intensity and frequency of damaging fire. Increasing temperatures are also eliminating the bird’s food and nesting locations. Rapid climate change poses a serious threat because these birds struggle to adapt to other habitats.
LeConte’s thrashers inhabit some of the hottest, driest and most barren desert habitats within the region. They prefer sandy deserts with saltbush vegetation, where they forage on the ground for insects. The birds rarely fly, instead running on the ground with their tail cocked and scooting into brushy cover when threatened. LeConte’s thrashers are nicknamed the “gray ghost” due to their elusive nature and pale sandy plumage that helps them blend into desert landscapes.
Bendire’s thrashers are also secretive and spend much of their time foraging on the ground for insects. Male thrashers of both species are most noticeable during breeding season, when they perch on shrubs to sing high-pitched, melodious songs. Bendire's thrashers nest in cholla cactus, mesquite trees, yuccas and Joshua trees. LeConte's thrashers nest primarily in cholla cactus and saltbush. Both thrasher species require large patches of flat land with desert scrub habitats and adequate prey to survive in their water-scarce environment.
Both Bendire’s and LeConte’s thrashers have been on the California Species of Special Concern list since 1978, but that designation has not been sufficient to halt their population declines. A 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report named both Bendire’s and LeConte’s thrashers as “Red Alert Tipping Point Species” since they’ve lost more than half their populations within the past 50 years and require urgent action to address declines.
Earlier this year the Center petitioned for federal Endangered Species Act protections for both Bendire’s and LeConte’s thrashers. However, the Trump administration’s hostility to environmental protections and attempts to eviscerate the Act make it unlikely that federal protections for these species will move forward anytime soon. Protection for thrashers on federal public lands can no longer be assured given Trump’s executive orders seeking to expand mining and energy extraction and efforts to reduce the size of national monuments in California.
