Canyon Towhee

About the Canyon Towhee

A plain but characterful bird of the arid Southwest, the Canyon Towhee is a warm grayish-brown all over, relieved by a rusty crown, a buff throat framed by fine streaks, and rufous under the tail. What it lacks in color it makes up for in personality, scratching about with a double-footed hop and a soft, metallic chip.

Canyon Towhees forage on the ground for seeds and insects along desert washes, rocky slopes, and brushy canyons, and they take readily to yards and campgrounds, where they can become quite tame. Pairs hold territory year-round and greet each other with an excited, squealing duet.

In Texas this is a resident of the Trans-Pecos and western Hill Country, at home in the dry, rocky, scrubby country of the west, present all year.

A note from behind the lens: their tameness around picnic areas and ranch yards makes them cooperative subjects. Get low to the ground where they feed, look for a bird on a rock or low branch, and let warm early light bring out that subtle rusty cap.