Mockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae)

Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre) - HBW 10, p. 493

French: Moqueur à bec courbe German: Krummschnabel-Spottdrossel Spanish: Cuitlacoche Piquicurvo

Taxonomy: Orpheus curvirostris Swainson, 1827, Tableland of Mexico.
Perhaps most closely related to, and forming a superspecies with, T. ocellatum; both similarly close to the T. rufum superspecies. Races form two groups, E “nominate group” (also including celsum and oberholseri) and smaller and less distinctly marked taxa in W “palmeri group” (also including maculatum, occidentale and insularum); groups intergrade somewhat in SW USA (Arizona). Recent genetic studies suggest that the two groups may represent separate species. Several races (e.g. insulararum, celsum) poorly differenti.. View all taxonomy...

Taxonomy: Orpheus curvirostris Swainson, 1827, Tableland of Mexico.
Perhaps most closely related to, and forming a superspecies with, T. ocellatum; both similarly close to the T. rufum superspecies. Races form two groups, E “nominate group” (also including celsum and oberholseri) and smaller and less distinctly marked taxa in W “palmeri group” (also including maculatum, occidentale and insularum); groups intergrade somewhat in SW USA (Arizona). Recent genetic studies suggest that the two groups may represent separate species. Several races (e.g. insulararum, celsum) poorly differentiated, perhaps not distinguishable. Seven subspecies currently recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • palmeri (Coues, 1872) - SW USA (SW & C Arizona) S to NW Mexico (S to C Sonora).
  • insularum van Rossem, 1930 - Tiburón I and San Estebán I, in Gulf of California off C Sonora coast (NW Mexico).
  • maculatum (Nelson, 1900) - NW Mexico (S Sonora, N Sinaloa, SW Chihuahua).

     See all 7 subspecies
  • palmeri (Coues, 1872) - SW USA (SW & C Arizona) S to NW Mexico (S to C Sonora).
  • insularum van Rossem, 1930 - Tiburón I and San Estebán I, in Gulf of California off C Sonora coast (NW Mexico).
  • maculatum (Nelson, 1900) - NW Mexico (S Sonora, N Sinaloa, SW Chihuahua).
  • occidentale (Ridgway, 1882) - WC Mexico (Sinaloa S to Jalisco).
  • curvirostre (Swainson, 1827) - C & SC Mexico (S to Puebla and Oaxaca).
  • celsum R. T. Moore, 1941 - S USA (SE Colorado, SW Kansas and extreme NW Oklahoma S to SE Arizona, New Mexico and W Texas) and NC Mexico (S to Zacatecas).
  • oberholseri Law, 1928 - S Texas S to NE Mexico (S to SC Tamaulipas).
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