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Eastern Towhee

Pipilo erythrophthalmusOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Sparrows (Emberizidae)
Eastern Towhee Breeding Male Head Illustration

Head

  • Bill Shape: Cone
  • Eye Color: From sepia to light or reddish brown in young, becoming red at maturity; pale straw yellow in adult Floridian birds.
  • Head Pattern: Plain
  • Crown Color: Black
  • Forehead Color: Black
  • Nape Color: Black
  • Throat Color: Black
  • Cere color: No Data
Eastern Towhee Breeding Male Body Illustration

Body

  • Length Range: 18-19 cm (7-7.5 in)
  • Weight: 43 g (1.5 oz)
  • Size: Small (5 - 9 in)
  • Color Primary: Black, Rufous or Rust
  • Underparts: White with red-brown sides.
  • Upperparts: Black
  • Back Pattern: Solid
  • Belly Pattern: Solid
  • Breast Pattern: Solid
Eastern Towhee Breeding Male Flight Illustration

Flight

  • Flight Pattern: Alternates several rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides., Short bouncy flights with tail spread.
  • Wingspan Range: 25-28 cm (10-11 in)
  • Wing Shape: Rounded-Wings
  • Tail Shape: Fan-shaped Tail
  • Tail Pattern: Solid
  • Upper Tail: Black
  • Under Tail: Black with white outer feathers.
  • Leg Color: Pink-gray
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Family
Species Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Length7 - 7.5 Inches
Wingspan10.5 Inches

Eastern Towhee

Eastern Towhee: Large sparrow with black upperparts, hood and upper breast, rufous flanks, and white underparts. Wings are black with white markings, and tail is long and black with white corners. Short, bounding flight, alternates several rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.

● Song: "drink your teeee!!!", "chewink"

● Foraging & Feeding: Eastern Towhee: Eats insects, acorns, seeds, and berries; forages on the ground or in low vegetation.

● Breeding & nesting: Eastern Towhee: Two to six creamy white or gray eggs are laid in a cup nest made of sticks, rootlets, grass, bark, and leaves, and lined with soft grass and animal hair. Nest is built on the ground under a bush or brush pile. Incubation ranges from 12 to 13 days and is carried out by the female.

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

Flight Pattern

Alternates several rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides., Short bouncy flights with tail spread.
Eastern Towhee Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Eastern Towhee: Breeds from southern Saskatchewan east to Maine and south to California and Florida. Spends winters across much of eastern U.S. north to Nebraska and southern New England. Preferred habitats include undergrowth and brushy edges of open woods. Northeastern birds favor young jack pines or second-growth oak forests; southern birds seek scrub oak or palmetto.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationCommon to fairly common
MigrationNorthern birds migrate
Weight1.5 Ounces