This is an unusual species to be making its home in our front yard. These guys would more normally be found in Mexico. . . in dry woodlands, pecan groves, or mesquite brushlands. It calls a rolling churr-churr and cackling kek-kek. . .louder and raspier than our red-bellied woodpeckers.
The golden orange nape is unmistakable in these images, created this evening.
Long-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma longirostre)
Below, another Mexican native has made its home around the ponds in Deltona. These Long-billed Thrashers (Toxostoma longirostre) are super fast and extremely noisy. Calls include a sharp chuck and a low churr. These are common in dense bottom land thickets, woodland edges, and chaparral in Mexico. . . not so much here in Central Florida.
The Toxostoma spp. feed on insects. They spend a lot of time around the feral cats' food. . . presumably eating the flies that congregate thereon.
This is one of my favorite photos of the year. . . difficult to really see the birds because of their excellent camouflage. I'm going to blow one of these up to poster size. . . to ponder.
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