How to Identify Towhees

Towhees are a type of sparrow, and the two most common towhees in North America are the Eastern Towhee and the Spotted Towhee. Until recently, both the Eastern Towhee and the Spotted Towhee were considered to be one species of towhee--the Rufous-sided Towhee. However, there are some important differences between these two songbirds. Read on to learn how to identify towhees.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Take note of the habitats of the Eastern Towhee and the Spotted Towhee. The Eastern Towhee lives in the eastern half of North America in scrubby habitats such as old fields, forest edges, residential areas and other places with an undergrowth. The Spotted Towhee lives in the western half of North America in woodlands, thickets, forest edges, parks and gardens.

2. Observe the appearance of these two common towhees. The male Eastern Towhee has black upperparts (head, back, wings and tail), while the female Eastern Towhee has brown upperparts. Both the male and female Eastern Towhees have rufous (reddish) colored sides, white underparts, rounded wings, a fan-shaped tail and white outer tail feathers. In addition, they have dark, thick, short bills. Eastern Towhees have either red or pale yellow colored eyes. Juveniles are brownish in color and are streaked. Male Spotted Towhees have black heads, wings, tails and backs. Female Spotted Towhees have brown to gray-brown heads, wings, tails and backs. They also have white underparts and rufous colored sides. They also have rounded wings and a fan-shaped tail like the Eastern Towhees. However, unlike Eastern Towhees, Spotted Towhees have white spots and bars on their wings and backs.

3. Take note of the size of the Eastern and Spotted Towhees. These birds are medium sized song birds. The Eastern Towhee is approximately 17 to 21 cm in size, with a weight of approximately 32 to 52 g and a wingspan of 25 to 28 cm. The Spotted Towhee is approximately 17 to 21 cm in size, with a weight of approximately 33 to 49 g and a wingspan of 25 to 28 cm.

4. Listen to the calls and songs of the Eastern and Spotted Towhees. The call of the Eastern Towhee is upwardly inflected and sounds similar to "chewink." The song of the Eastern Towhee is a loud trill that sounds similar to "drink-your-teeee." The call of the Spotted Towhee is also upwardly inflected and sounds similar to "queee." The song of the Spotted Towhee is a slurred, variable trill that sounds like a buzzing sound.

5. Observe the behaviors of towhees. Both the Eastern Towhee and the Spotted Towhee exhibit rapid wing beats during flight, and their flights appear to be bouncy in nature. These towhees also forage on the ground for their food, and they do a two-footed backwards hop during foraging.

Tips & Warnings

• There are several other kinds of towhees not discussed here. These include the Green-tailed Towhee, the California Towhee, the Canyon Towhee and Abert's Towhee. Use a bird identification guide to identify these birds.
• There has been some interbreeding of the Eastern Towhee and the Spotted Towhee on the great plains of North America where the two populations meet.

Resources

• All About Birds From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Information on Identifying Birds