Spotted Towhee

Probably a good candidate for the distinction of "most common bird that non-birders have never heard of," the Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) is at home across much of California and the West wherever suitable habitat is present.  

A large, chunky sparrow, the Spotted Towhee hangs out in thick underbrush and tangles of vegetation in chaparral, dry woodlands, forest edges, and even the brushy edges of fields and backyards.  I come across these striking birds just about every time I venture out, from the mountains to the coast: they are common residents in the undergrowth along Central Valley rivers, like the Tuolumne, Stanislaus and San Joaquin, in brushy edge habitat around wetlands and grasslands, and in pockets of shrubby vegetation in oak woodlands and dry forests.  One even showed up - briefly - in my own backyard!  

The photos below were taken last week in a small riparian area along a creek, an island of vegetation in a grassland sea.  Overgrown with brambles, this little pocket of habitat is particularly attractive to towhees, and I was able to snap a few photos when this lovely male was obliging enough to spend a moment perched in the morning sun before he scuttled off once again into the undergrowth.

Spotted Towhees are most likely to be seen throughout the year as they forage on the ground near or beneath the protective covering of thick underbrush they so depend on.  The diet of the Spotted Towhee varies with the seasons, shifting from insects and other small invertebrates in the summer, to seeds and berries at other times.  But the towhee's mode of seeking and obtaining food remains the same through the year and across its range, and the conspicuous scratching sounds of towhees scuffling in the leaf litter might be the best way to detect this oft-overlooked bird.  Listen for the sounds of scuffling and scratching as they industriously sift through leaf litter underneath tangles of vegetation.  Then, try to get a look at these little characters at work!  Using their signature technique, the two-footed hop, the bird hops backward with both feet together before pouncing on whatever tasty morsels it has uncovered.

In the spring, look and listen for males singing from semi-open perches, generally staying fairly low in trees and shrubs, and never far from cover.  These furtive birds like to stay hidden in the brush, and during the winter months often the first clue to their presence is their short, rising "mew" call.  (Listen to the various sounds of the Spotted Towhee here.)  

But of course, they do show themselves regularly, and it is worth a patient wait to glimpse this lovely common bird of the West.  (In the eastern United States, look for the very similar Eastern Towhee; these two species were formerly considered a single species, the Rufous-sided Towhee.)