California Towhee

California Towhee

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

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.

Description

• Medium-sized songbird.
• Drab brown overall.
• Long tail.
• Bill short, thick, and pointed.

• Size: 21-25 cm (8-10 in)
• Wingspan: 29 cm (11 in)
• Weight: 37-67 g (1.31-2.37 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes similar in plumage, male slightly larger.

Sound

Song an accelerating series of "tsip" notes; may drop in pitch near end. Call note a loud "tsip."

Conservation Status

Little change in populations over time. Inyo California Towhee of the Argus Mountains is federally classified as Threatened.

Other Names

Tohi de Californie (French)
Toqui californiano (Spanish)
Brown Towhee (in part) (English)

Cool Facts

• 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.

Sources used to construct this page:

Kunzmann, M. R., K. Ellison, K. L. Purcell, R. R. Johnson, and L. T. Haight. 2002. California Towhee (Pipilo crissalis). In The Birds of North America, No. 632 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.