Spotted Towhee

Pipilo maculatusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Codes: Common Name: SPTO Scientific Name: PIPMAC ITIS Taxonomic No.: 554380

Breeding Location:

Forest edge, Bushes, shrubs, and thickets, Scrub vegetation areas

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Common to fairly common

Egg Color:

White or gray flecked with purple and red brown

Number of Eggs:

2 - 6

Incubation Days:

12 - 14

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Twigs, leaves, rootlets, grass, and bark.

Migration:

Some migrate

General

Spotted Towhee: Large sparrow with white-spotted black back and black rump. Breast is black, belly is white, and sides are rufous. Head is black and eyes are red. Wings are black with white spots. Tail is long and black with white corners. Female is duller, with brown instead of black and fewer white spots.

Range and Habitat

Spotted Towhee: Breeds from British Columbia south to California and the southwest, and east to central Dakotas and western Texas. Spends winters from British Columbia, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Nebraska south to Baja California and east to Oklahoma and south-central Texas. Preferred habitats include forest edges, thickets, woodlands, gardens, and shrubby park areas.

Breeding and Nesting

Spotted Towhee: Two to six white or gray eggs flecked with purple and red brown are laid in a loose cup nest built in a dense bush, usually close to or on the ground. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Spotted Towhee: Eats insects, spiders, seeds, and fruits; also takes small lizards and snakes; forages by double-scratching in leaf litter on the ground, usually beneath dense thickets.

Readily Eats

Cracked Corn, Peanuts, Nut Meats, Commercial Mixed Bird Seed

Vocalization

Spotted Towhee: Song is a variable, buzzing "cheweeeee." Call is an inquisitive "meewww."

Similar Species

Spotted Towhee: Eastern Towhee lacks wing-bars and white spots on the back.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Spotted Towhee

Spotted Towhee: Large sparrow, white-spotted black back, black rump. Black breast, white belly, rufous sides. Head is black and eyes are red. Wings are black with white spots. Tail is long and black with white corners. Short, bounding flights, alternates rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.

● Song: "cheweeeeee", "meewwww"

● Foraging & Feeding: Spotted Towhee: Eats insects, spiders, seeds, and fruits; also takes small lizards and snakes; forages by double-scratching in leaf litter on the ground, usually beneath dense thickets.

● Breeding & nesting: Spotted Towhee: Two to six white or gray eggs flecked with purple and red brown are laid in a loose cup nest built in a dense bush, usually close to or on the ground. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Spotted Towhee: Eastern Towhee lacks wing-bars and white spots on the back.

Flight Pattern

Swift bounding flight with rapid wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Spotted Towhee: Breeds from British Columbia south to California and the southwest, and east to central Dakotas and western Texas. Spends winters from British Columbia, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Nebraska south to Baja California and east to Oklahoma and south-central Texas. Preferred habitats include forest edges, thickets, woodlands, gardens, and shrubby park areas.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationCommon to fairly common

^MigrationSome migrate

^Weight1.4 Ounces

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Spotted Towhee

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Readily Eats

Vocalization

Similar Species

Spotted Towhee

Flight Pattern