Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatus
They perform a unique 'double-scratch' move, hopping backward and forward to kick away leaves and reveal hidden insects.
- Scientific name
- Pipilo maculatus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Passerellidae › Pipilo
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Dense thickets, chaparral, forest edges, and shrubby suburban gardens.
- Diet
- Omnivorous; primarily seeds and berries in winter, switching to beetles, caterpillars, and spiders in summer.
- Range
- Western North America, Canada, United States, Mexico
- Size
- 17-21 cm in length; wingspan of 23-30 cm.
- Lifespan
- Up to 12 years in the wild.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, predation by domestic cats, and collisions with glass windows.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and shy. Observe from a distance as they forage in leaf litter. To prevent harm to these birds, keep domestic cats indoors and use bird-safe window decals to prevent collisions.
The spotted towhee ( Pipilo maculatus ) is a large New World sparrow. The taxonomy of the towhees has been debated in recent decades, and until 1995 this bird and the eastern towhee were considered a single species, the Rufous-sided Towhee . An archaic name for the spotted towhee is the Oregon towhee ( Pipilo maculatus oregonus ).
Photo: Nigel Voaden, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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