Spotted Towhee

This week I took a little trip south to New Mexico and found the birds that had not yet made their way north quite busy with spring. Spotted Towhees, Pipilo maculatus, were singing loudly all over the place.   The Cornell Lab of Ornithology states that "early in the breeding season, male Spotted Towhees spend their mornings singing their hearts out, trying to attract a mate.  Male towhees have been recorded spending 70 percent to 90 percent of their mornings singing. Almost as soon as they attract a mate, their attention shifts to other things, and they spend only about 5 percent of their time singing."  March is prime singing time in the Southwest.

It's not terribly easy to get a good photo of a towhee. They enjoy hiding behind branches just to make things difficult.  I heard--then saw--a very vocal one singing as loud as he could on the top of a tree, but it was in such early morning light that a picture only barely captured his silhouette.

Spotted towhee males are distinct with their black heads, red sides and eyes, and white wing spots.  Allaboutbirds.org argues: "Some scientists have suggested that the bold white spots on Spotted Towhees’ backs help them blend in to the sun-dappled undergrowth." 

The spotted towhee and the eastern towhee used to be called one species, the rufous-sided towhee, but they are now considered distinct.  Spotted towhees live in drier, shrubbier areas than their eastern relatives.  The following photo was taken in a suitably shrubby environment last June in northern Colorado.

This bird is considered a type of sparrow, though it is much larger and more colorful than the 'little brown jobs' that normally come to mind with the name sparrow.  I enjoy these birds' colorful feathers and cheery song and will have to be on the lookout for their interesting behaviors as well.  They scratch the ground for seeds using a double-footed hop.  According to whatbird.com "They occasionally sun themselves, lying down on the grass with feathers spread.  When disturbed, a nesting female Spotted Towhee may run away like a mouse rather than fly."  And, most charmingly, "A group of towhees are collectively known as a 'tangle' and a 'teapot' of towhees."