California Towhee

Pipilo crissalisOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Codes: Common Name: CALT Scientific Name: PIPCRI ITIS Taxonomic No.: 202307

Breeding Location:

Bushes, shrubs, and thickets, Mountains, Scrub vegetation areas

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Common in range

Egg Color:

Light blue or green with brown and black markings

Number of Eggs:

2 - 6

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Bark, sticks, weeds, and grass., Lined with mammal hair.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

General

California Towhee: Large sparrow with uniform brown-gray body, faintly streaked underparts, and buff throat bordered with dark streaks. Tail is long with cinnamon-brown undertail coverts. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has more diffusely streaked underparts.

Range and Habitat

California Towhee: Resident in coastal and foothill chaparral from Oregon to southern Baja California. Preferred habitats include shady underbrush, open woods, pinyon-juniper woodlands, and suburban gardens.

Breeding and Nesting

California Towhee: Two to six light blue or green eggs, with brown and black markings, are laid in a cup nest built low in a bush or young tree. Eggs are incubated for approximately 11 days by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

California Towhee: Diet consists of seeds, grain, and insects. Forages in open, but usually prefers cover, quietly double-scratching on the ground under foliage, outdoor buildings, and fences.

Readily Eats

Cracked Corn, Peanuts, Nut Meats

Vocalization

California Towhee: Song is a series of squeaky chips on same pitch, accelerating into a rapid trill; pattern varies according to geographical area. Call is a sharp "chink" or thin "tseeee."

Similar Species

California Towhee: Canyon Towhee has a rust-brown crown and grayer upperparts. Abert's Towhee is buff and has a black area around bill.

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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.

California Towhee

California Towhee: Large sparrow, uniform brown-gray body, faintly streaked underparts, buff throat bordered with dark streaks. Tail is long with cinnamon-brown undertail coverts. Pink-brown legs and feet. Short flights with rapid beating wing strokes alternating with wings pulled briefly to sides.

● Song: "chink", "tseeee"

● Foraging & Feeding: California Towhee: Diet consists of seeds, grain, and insects. Forages in open, but usually prefers cover, quietly double-scratching on the ground under foliage, outdoor buildings, and fences.

● Breeding & nesting: California Towhee: Two to six light blue or green eggs, with brown and black markings, are laid in a cup nest built low in a bush or young tree. Eggs are incubated for approximately 11 days by the female.

● Similar species: California Towhee: Canyon Towhee has a rust-brown crown and grayer upperparts. Abert's Towhee is buff and has a black area around bill.

Flight Pattern

Short flights wih rapid wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: California Towhee: Resident in coastal and foothill chaparral from Oregon to southern Baja California. Preferred habitats include shady underbrush, open woods, pinyon-juniper woodlands, and suburban gardens.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationCommon in range

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight1.9 Ounces

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Undertail coverts

Small feathers that cover the areas where the retrices (tail feathers) attach to the rump.

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