- Margarops fuscatus
Identification
Pearly-eyed Thrasher has brown upperparts, whitish underparts with brown streaking and a bill that is light (often yellowish). Eye is white, and the tail corners are white.
Scaly-breasted Thrasher is smaller, has a smaller black bill, yellow eye, and wing bars.
Distribution
Four subspecies share the range from the southern Bahamas and Puerto Rico through Lesser Antilles to a couple of islands north of Venezuela. One would expect it to be found on Hispaniola as well, but it is almost unknown from that island.
Taxonomy
It seems that the two species of thrashers belonging to Margarops (Scaly-breasted Thrasher and Pearly-eyed Thrasher) together with the Tremblers (Brown Trembler and Grey Trembler) constitute a group that originated within the Lesser Antilles (Hunt et al. 2001).
Habitat
Woodlands and forests at all elevations.
Behaviour
Omnivorous, and competes for nest cavities with other species including for example the Puerto Rican Parrot. An agressive species that eats just about anything, including eggs and young of other bird species.
