Clay-colored Thrush (Turdus grayi), Private yard in Portal, AZ, Cochise County

This Clay-colored Thrush was found and photographed by Terrie & Larry Gates on 21 June 2015

First Arizona Record if accepted by the ABC. Native to northeastern Mexico south to Colombia. It may not have been high on anyone's list of potential new species for Arizona and, as with most Mexican species, there is a question of origin. This species has increased in recent years, with records from Big Bend National Park in Texas and New Mexico. 

Drab brown thrush with paler, warmer underparts and pale greenish-yellow bill help to rule out other similar and equally rare Turdus thrushes and indicates the northeastern Mexico subspecies is involved.

21 June 2015, photo by Terrie & Larry Gates

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