Nests are placed about four feet high in shrubs (rose, lilac, plum, elderberry) and about seven feet high in trees (red cedar, honey locust, willow, elm, apple, and in vines in such trees).
Brown Thrasher: Toxostoma rufum (Linnaeus).—This is a common summer resident in woodland understory, edge, and second-growth. T. r. rufum (Linnaeus) occurs in eastern Kansas, to the western edge of the Flint Hills, and T. r. longicauda Baird occurs west of stations in Decatur, Lane, and Meade counties; the intervening populations are of intermediate morphologic character. Some individuals overwinter in Kansas, but most are regular migrants and summer residents, arriving in spring from April 1 to April 25 (the median is April 19), and departing in autumn between September 19 and October 13 (the median is September 28).
Breeding schedule.—The 237 records of breeding span the period May 1 to July 20 ([Fig. 7]); the modal date for egg-laying is May 15, and one-third of all eggs are laid in the period May 11 to 20.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs, ranging from 2 to 5. Seasonal variation and mean values are shown in [Table 15].
Nests are placed about four feet high (ranging from 12/3 to 15 feet) in osage orange, elm, ornamental evergreens, gooseberry, barberry, honey locust, cottonwood, red cedar, rose, plum, honeysuckle, spirea, arbor vitae, willow, oak, apple, dogwood, and maple.
Table 15.—Seasonal Variation in Clutch-size of the Brown Thrasher
| Time | Mean clutch-size | Number of records |
| May 1-10 | 3.3 | 15 |
| May 10-20 | 3.9 | 38 |
| May 21-31 | 4.1 | 13 |
| June 1-10 | 3.5 | 13 |
| June 11-20 | 3.5 | 12 |
| June 21-30 | 3.4 | 9 |
| July 1-10 | 3 | 1 |
| July 11-20 | 3 | 1 |
| All: | 3.63 | 102 |
Robin: Turdus migratorius migratorius Linnaeus.—This summer resident is common in the east, and is locally common in the west. Some individuals, usually in small groups, can be seen throughout the winter in eastern Kansas, and their presence makes it difficult to document dates of arrival and departure of the strictly summer resident birds; these can be said to arrive in March and to leave in October, but these indications are the barest approximations.
Breeding schedule.—The 334 records of breeding span the period April 1 to July 20 ([Fig. 7]); the modal date of laying of first clutches is April 25, but subsequent peaks are indistinct. Nearly half of all eggs are laid in the period April 11 to 30.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 3 eggs (3.6, 3-6; 57). Clutches laid prior to May 10 average 3.6 eggs (3-6; 47), and those laid subsequent to May 10 average 3.5 eggs (3-4; 10).