Birds

The Spotted Towhee – One of the Five Towhees of the West

November 5, 2014 by Larry 3 Comments
Spotted Towhee

The Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) is probably the most common of the five western Towhees of North America. They occupy the scrubby thickets of the northern Great Plains, middle elevations of mountains and intermountain plateaus, and Pacific coastal lowlands and offshore islands.

Spotted Towhee Range Map

I spotted this male recently in a friend’s yard (click on photos for full sized images) …

Spotted Towhee

along with several Steller’s Jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) …

Steller's Jay

Golden-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia atricapilla) …

Golden-crowned Sparrow

and a covey of California Quail (Callipepla californica).

California Quail

Add to this menagerie several Allen’s Chipmunks (Neotamias senex) and you have a yard full of fun!

Allen's Chipmunk

Here is another look at the Spotted Towhee and a short video I found containing all the songs and calls of this Western species. Enjoy!

Spotted Towhee

httpv://youtu.be/NuL885n0z8Y

Written by Larry
Larry Jordan was introduced to birding after moving to northern California where he was overwhelmed by the local wildlife, forcing him to buy his first field guide just to be able to identify all the species visiting his yard. Building birdhouses and putting up feeders brought the avian fauna even closer and he was hooked. Larry wanted to share his passion for birds and conservation and hatched The Birder's Report in September of 2007. His recent focus is on bringing the Western Burrowing Owl back to life in California where he also monitors several bluebird trails. He is a BirdLife Species Champion and contributes to several other conservation efforts, being the webmaster for Wintu Audubon Society and the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Urban Bird Foundation. He is now co-founder of a movement to create a new revenue stream for our National Wildlife Refuges with a Wildlife Conservation Pass.