Sweet-sweet-teeeeeeaaaaa!
Larger than sparrows with a long tail, dark head, rufous flanks, and white spotting, the Spotted Towhee has several subspecies. We have our Great Plains, the southwest has their Southwest, and the Pacific Northwest has theirs. These are all self explanatory, and later, there will be discussion on the Eastern Towhee, which also comes to Oklahoma.
These good looking large sparrows are common in brushy habitats including the undergrowth in open forests and shrublands, but are a secretive species staying within cover. They scratch heavily within leaf litter, seeking seeds and insects, using the two-footed method to scratch simultaneously with both feet.
Since 1995 this species was separated from the Eastern Towhee, both species once called the rufous-sided towhee. They share a very narrow hybrid zone in the northern Great Plains. These birds will show a white patch at the base of the primaries, and their call can be a blend of the two species or sound like either of the two, so it is imperative that one pay close attention in this part of the country. However, bear in mind that juvenile birds can emulate a hybrid during early winter, though it is rare.
Spotted Towhee
Mount Lemmon, AZ-- Spring 2018
As omnivores, this towhee will eat nearly anything, but during the breeding season it will eat more insects and arthropods, mainly as the young require protein for good growth.
They also have about the largest range of any towhee, found over the southern portion of the western Canadian provinces and over half of the US. They also do not flock.
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