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Toxostoma rufum
Brown Thrashers are fairly large, slender songbirds with long proportions—the legs are long and sturdy, and the bill is long and slightly downcurved. The tail is long, too, and often cocked upward in the manner of wrens. Color Pattern Brown Thrashers are foxy brown birds with heavy, dark streaking on their whitish underparts. The face is gray-brown and the wings show two black-and-white wingbars. They have bright-yellow eyes. This Brown Thrasher in this spotting has dark gray eyes which seems to make it a juvenile.
It can be tricky to glimpse a Brown Thrasher in a tangled mass of shrubbery, and once you do you may wonder how such a boldly patterned, gangly bird could stay so hidden. Brown Thrashers wear a somewhat severe expression thanks to their heavy, slightly downcurved bill and staring yellow eyes, and they are the only thrasher species east of Texas. Brown Thrashers are exuberant singers, with one of the largest repertoires of any North American songbird.
This looks like a brown thrasher except for the eyes being gray instead of yellow. I think it may be a juvenile. Anyone know?
Thank you New Yorker and Jemma for your nice comments.
Thank you Phil and ceherzog for you help with the ID.