Spotted Towhee

About the Spotted Towhee

The Spotted Towhee is a large, long-tailed sparrow with a striking pattern: black hood and upperparts scattered with white spots, warm rufous flanks, a white belly, and glowing red eyes. Females are patterned the same way in dark brown.

Towhees feed on the ground under dense cover, using a distinctive two-footed backward hop to rake leaf litter aside and expose insects, seeds, and berries. The scratching is often the first clue one is present, along with a catlike mewing call from inside a thicket.

Spotted Towhees breed in the western mountains and spend the winter across much of Texas, where they favor brushy canyons, cedar breaks, and thickets. They are shy but respond readily to soft pishing, popping up briefly before dropping back into cover.