Adult Male Spotted Towhee,
Image by Chris Conard
This month let’s learn about an attractive bird called the Spotted Towhee. Towhees are in the same Family (or in the same bird classification group) as sparrows. Spotted Towhees live mainly in Western North America; but their range is from Canada down to Guatemala in South America. They are resident birds in the Sacramento Valley. This means they live in this area year-round and do not migrate away. However, Spotted Towhee populations that nest in colder, northern regions will migrate to warmer locations for the winter.
There is a species of bird that is very similar to the Spotted Towhee which is found east of the Great Plains, called the Eastern Towhee. Eastern Towhees look very much like Spotted Towhees; but they don’t have the bright white spots and wing bars. Some scientists suggest that the bold white spots on Spotted Towhees in the Western U.S. help them blend into the frequently sun-dappled undergrowth. This may allow them to be better camouflaged (or not easily seen).
Adult Female Spotted Towhee, Image by Larry Hickey
What do spotted Towhees look like?
Once you see a Spotted Towhee, you'll appreciate their beautiful colors! They are fairly large for a sparrow and are about the size of an American Robin. Spotted Towhees have round bodies, short necks, and long, fan-shaped tails. They have red eyes, pinkish legs, and thick, dark, pointed beaks. Spotted towhees have rufous (reddish-brown) sides or flanks, white bellies, and white spots and white wing bars on their backs and wings. The outer corners at the end of their tails are white as well; so when they fly, you can see a flash of white. Males have jet black heads, throats, backs, and tails. In contrast, the heads, throats, backs, and tails of female birds are a dark brown or a grayish-black. Juvenile birds are mostly brown with brown streaking and tanish spots.
Where do Spotted Towhees live?
Look for Spotted Towhees in open, shrubby habitat with thick undergrowth that they use for shelter. They frequently build their nests on the ground inside a shallow hole, with the rim of the nest at ground level. Spotted Towhees may also build their nests a few feet above the ground. It’s the female of the pair that builds the nests. Leaves, grasses, twigs, pine needles, weeds, rootlets, strips of bark, and occasionally animal hair may be used for nest building. It’s interesting that Spotted Towhees don't usually build their nests inside dense thickets or shrubs, the areas where they frequently stay or hide. Instead, their nests tend to be out in the open somewhat under trees. There is almost always either a log, some tall grass, or a bush in front of the nest. When Spotted Towhees are in the process of building their nests, they are very careful not to reveal the nest location.
Usually two times a year, the female Spotted Towhee lays around 2-6 eggs. She incubates the eggs (sits on and keeps the eggs warm) for 12-14 days. Both parents help feed the baby birds or hatchlings. Young birds leave the nest around 9-11 days after hatching; but can stay near their parents for some time before leaving the area.
Adult Male Spotted Towhee, Image by Chris Conard
What do Spotted Towhees eat?
During the nesting season, Spotted Towhees mostly eat a variety of high protein foods such as: beetles, weevils, crickets, grasshoppers, moths, spiders, millipedes, snails and wasps. In Winter, they switch to eating seeds, plants, acorns, and berries. In residential backyards, Spotted Towhees will eat bird seed that is scattered on the ground.
What do Spotted Towhees sound like?
Spotted Towhees can be quite secretive and can remain hidden in thick bushes and dense underbrush. But in Spring and early Summer, male Spotted Towhees are known to sing from high perches. The song of the Spotted Towhee is variable depending on which region one hears the bird. You can listen to the calls and songs of Spotted Towhees now.