Spotted Towhee

Spotted Towhees are found in Western North America south through Mexico. These noisy birds are one of the most common birds in our brushy backyard. Unlike the clear “Drink your tea” sung by eastern towhees, ours call a raspy “screee.” Birds in the northern Great Plains are migratory. Those in the Rocky Mountains show elevational movements, heading to lower elevations in the winter, but perhaps not longer distance travels. The birds here in the Pacific Coast resumably are year-round residents. It will be interesting if I get any recoveries from my banded birds. This male was photographed on 7 April 2019.