California Towhee
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Emberizidae
Genus: Pipilo
Species: crissalis
**Audio Below**
Description
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Length: 9"
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Wing span: 11.5"
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Weight: 1.5 oz (44 grams)
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Medium sized songbird
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Drab brown to gray overall
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Short thick pointy bill and very long tail
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Face, throat, and undertail coverts cinnamon brown
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Wings, tail, and crown slightly darker brown than body and the crown may be tinged reddish
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Malar region and throat is marked with distinct dusky streaks or spots
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Orangish brown eyes and greyish pink legs
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Males, females and juveniles are similar in appearance
Factoids:
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A large, dully marked, ground-foraging sparrow, the California Towhee is a characteristic bird of chaparral and underbrush in oak woodlands of California. It occurs in remote backcountry habitats, but also is common in urban and suburban areas
- The California Towhee was previously lumped with the Canyon Towhee into the Brown Towhee. Evidence suggests that it actually is more closely related to Abert's Towhee than the Canyon Towhee
- The California Towhee is not migratory, but it makes limited movements uphill after breeding, from chaparral into the lower mountain slopes in California. In winter, it moves downslope from higher elevations during bad weather
- The Inyo California Towhee is restricted to riparian habitat in the Argus Mountains of central California. It is threatened by the destruction of the habitat, largely the result of foraging by feral burros
All photographs and audio clips are ©Jamie Mullin 2006
Sources: Cornell Lab of Ornithology & The Sibley Guide to Birds.
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