Spotted Towhee

The Spotted Towhee is a large, striking sparrow of sun-baked thickets of the West. When you catch sight of one, they’re gleaming black above (females are grayish), spotted and striped with brilliant white. Their warm rufous flanks match the dry leaves they spend their time hopping around in. The birds can be hard to see in the leaf litter, so your best chance for an unobstructed look at this handsome bird may be in the spring, when males climb into the shrub tops to sing their buzzy songs.

The above is from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I can tell you from personal experience, that they are beautifully colored birds alright, but our birds aren't in sun-baked thickets....which sounds very desert-ish. Ours are just in the back woodsy area, hopping around in the English Ivy that is growing out of control, hunting under shrubs, bushes and especially hanging out near the suet feeder to scarf up any bits that fall their way. The winter birds seem to like to forage on the ground and when Bill puts out a lot of millet, the Juncos gather as do the Towhee's and the Varied Thrush. I love their red eyes. A very handsome bird. But, I did learn something as I didn't realize or know this was a type of sparrow. Hey, I'm still learning about birds.

A very foggy morning gave way to a beautiful, blue sky afternoon, but chilly. Not going to complain one little bit. At least we don't have snow and 40 below zero wind chill. That's just insane.

See ya