Spotted Towhee in Berry Bush
In a secluded thicket near Page Springs in the Verde Valley, I found a Spotted Towhee eating from the same bush as a Hermit Thrush, and a small group of Javelina came through the area while I was there.
Spotted Towhee
Relatives in same Genus
Abert's Towhee (P. aberti)
Green-tailed Towhee (P. chlorurus)
Canyon Towhee (P. fuscus) ...
Spotted Towhee
The spotted towhee is typically a ground feeder and will come to your backyard with the right kind of food. Learn how to attract the spotted towhee to your yard, and listen to its song.
Photo: Roland Jordahl ...
The Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) breeds across most of western North America and much of western Mexico. The first two shots here are of a male on breeding territory at the Dinosaur National Monument in Moffat Co., Colorado, in June, 2001.
Spotted Towhees are fairly common along river valleys and brushy coulees on the prairies of southeastern Alberta.
The Spotted Towhee and the Eastern Towhee were formerly considered separate races of the same species, the Rufous-Sided Towhee (a name which is no longer used).
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)
Still struggling to grasp avian taxonomy, so I thought I'd share my latest discoveries, based largely on John B. Dunning, Jr.'s piece on the Emberizidae Family in the Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior.
Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatus (scientific)
Striped Skunk
Mephitis mephitis (scientific)
Striped skunks live in woodlands, grassy plains, and the desert. Look for them throughout the continental United States.
Guadalupe Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus consobrinus (Guadalupe Island, East Pacific, c. 1900)
Spotted Towhee subspecies
[edit] See also ...
Eastern and Spotted towhees have short, thick bills instead of the American Robin's long, narrow bill. Their chestnut flanks don't extend all the way across the belly and breast like an American Robin.
Primary prey in New Mexico includes Steller's jays (C. stelleri), band-tailed pigeons (Patagioenas fasciata), northern flickers, spotted towhees (Pipilo maculatus), sparrows (Emberizidae), bats, and cliff chipmunks (Tamias dorsalis) [69].
The species most similar to the Eastern Towhee is the Spotted Towhee. These two species were once classified as the same species.
Eastern Towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
Socorro Towhee, Pipilo socorroensis
"Brown Towhee"--old name, now split into two species: ...
More common and widespread than the Spotted Towhee, foraging more frequently in open habitats and farther from cover than the Spotted. Probably the species most frequently parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird on campus.
At one time the Eastern Tohwee and Spotted Towhee were considered to be one species, the Rufous-sided Towhee.
The Eastern Towhee is similar to the Spotted Towhee but lacks wing bars and white spots on the back.
Spotted Towhee
Count Circle: 1 seen in 2003 only.
Fermilab Site: Not seen.
109.
Eastern Towhee
Count Circle: Avg. of 1.8 in 5 counts.
Fermilab Site: 5 seen in 1976 only.
110.
American Tree Sparrow
Count Circle: Avg. of 1063.5 in 35 counts.
Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus: San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, CA, 01 Jan
Eastern Towhee Pipilo maculatus: Central Park, Manhattan, NY, 11 Jan ...
 See also: Towhee, Eastern towhee, Sparrow, Green-tailed Towhee, Song Sparrow
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