Last month, we featured one of our sparrows as part of our 12 Months of Birding at the Inn series on the blog in 2014. This month, our sparrow love continues, with our July pick: the Eastern Towhee.
The Eastern Towhee is a year-round resident here in Pisgah National Forest east of Black Mountain, NC. They’re more often heard than seen, although you may catch a flash of reddish orange and black scurrying on the ground around the Pool Garden and the birdfeeders as that’s where the Eastern Towhees like to scoot out from under the burning bush hedge to graze. Eastern Towhees prefer to forage on the ground, often in leaves, and also through dense shrubs. They’re omnivores with a varied diet of seeds, insects, snails, fruit (blueberry thieves), grasses and also spring flower buds.
Eastern Towhee, time for your close-up! [photo: Wikipedia]
The Eastern Towhee is pretty easy to identify. It’s a medium-sized, chunky bird with reddish orange sides and a white belly. Males are jet black on their heads going down their chests, as well as on their backs. Trade the black for brown with the same orange and white pattern on the sides and belly and you have the female Eastern Towhee.
Female Eastern Towhee at the Inn on Mill Creek
To see if Eastern Towhees are common in your neck of the woods, visit https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Towhee/maps-range/overview.
I have one here in Ontario, Port Elgin, Lake Huron. I have a female. I have never seen one here before.
Had one in my back yard had to look it up never saw one before. In Garner, NC
Glad you were able to ID your Eastern Towhee! They are really fun to watch. Ours love the sunflower seeds that fall from our feeders and we throw extra seed out for them as well.
Had one here for a few days in Monroe, NC.
Have one here in East Tennessee now in my back yard a beautiful bird. I don’t remember seeing one before I looked it up.
They really are beautiful birds! We hear them much more often than we see them. One of their calls is a very sharp rising whistle that sounds like “chewink”. This link has more of their sounds so you can listen and see if you hear them in your backyard – https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Towhee/sounds
I have one here in far western North Carolina that comes and pecks at the same window every day. He has been doing it for the last five months. Really strange. he will show up at various times throughout the day.
Our guess is that he sees his reflection and is defending his territory… against himself! We have Cardinals that do the same thing.
Have a Towhee pecking windows every am. The owls I put out to get rid of a killer cardinal do not deter the Towhee. I am in Highlands for the summer—any suggestions welcomed!!!
Hi Jere – they are likely pecking at their reflection and the only way to deter it that we know of is to get rid of the reflection, either with window screen, tape, decals, or curtains… something you can cover the window reflection with if possible. It might be only for a short period of time where they are feeling territorial. Hope they don’t go on for too long!
Just saw on in our back yard in Hendersonville, NC. Never saw on before!
just saw one at my birdfeeder the first time ! I live in Weaverville NC
I have one at my feeder in Hillsboro, Missouri.
Just saw on in the feeder here in Aiken, SC. First time I’ve ever seen one.
We have a couple in Brick Township New Jersey. Beautiful birds!
Have one here in Redgranite Wisconsin. Was eating under the birdfeeder with a Cardinal.
There was a male at my birdbath (which is on the ground) in Youngsville.
I have a male and female pair here in Black mountain, NC. This is the first year I have seen them. I have found them fascinating. As you said, they are very loud. I find that the male specifically loves to sweep his tail in the leaves and underbrush. I really enjoy watching them. We live in a very wooded area and have feeders in both the front and back yards. I’m so glad to know what they are called now.
Our males do the same thing – they are so enjoyable to watch!
Have a pair in Waynesville, North Carolina 2700 MSL beautiful birds they were in my yard now they’re under my birdfeeder they like the seeds and they also like kicking through the mulch that I put out…
Spotted a male this morning in Locust Grove, Ga. Never seen one before here.
I have a pair and the female is nesting in a nearby azalea bush. Oddly though, a male cardinal is also bringing her worms. I am also able to witness the male Towhee ward off a curious or menacing chipmunk. Very entertaining. I look forward to watching through my living room window the fledglings.
Such a beautiful bird. He was foraging under my bird feeder this morning in Gainesville, GA.
Have one here at our feeder in the middle of a snowstorm in central Illinois. First one for us.
Have one in daily in our yard in Moon Twp. Pa. near Pittsburgh. Beautiful bird. Was here last year too.
Just saw one on the ground under my bird feeder foraging. Matthews, NC
I have one on my deck and he is a nusance. Poops all over the place. How do i get ride of him?
We have one that comes to our window everyday – have had a beautiful male and female cardinal at our window for a long time also. Another of God’s wonderful creation for us to enjoy. We live in Fletcher NC..
Husband saw & took picture of bird eating from our feeder. Never seen before. Had our indoor cat’s attention also! We’re in Marshfield WI, (central WI) A little far from home!
We have one here in Davidson county NC. He likes being under the brush an pines in the yard.
We have one, we are in Locust, NC!
Just saw one for the first time at my feeders north western NC, in the foothills Blue Ridge Mountians