photographs by Douglas Herr
Passerellidae: Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)

22 February 2022
 Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee
Spotted Towhee
03 February 2022
 Spotted Towhee
15 December 2021
 Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee
Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee
02 December 2021
 Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee
16 September 2021
 Spotted Towhee
10 September 2021
 Spotted Towhee
09 March 2021
 Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee
30 January 2021
 Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee
12 January 2021
 Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee
08 January 2021
 Spotted Towhee
29 April 2020
 Spotted Towhee
29 October 2019
 Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee Spotted Towhee
22 October 2019
 Spotted Towhee
18 October 2019
 Spotted Towhee
24 October 2015
 Spotted Towhee
23 January 2010
 Spotted Towhee
November 2009
 Spotted Towhee
April 2003
 Spotted Towhee

Field identification tips: The Spotted Towhee's (Pipilo maculatus) dark hood contrasting with white belly, red eyes, rusty-colored sides and dark back & wings with white spots make this bird unmistakable. Adult males have a black hood and generally brighter colors while females' and immature birds' colors are more muted. The similar Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), at one time thought to be conspecific with P. maculatus, lacks the white spots on the back & wings, and lives farther east.

Typical range: P. maculatus is typically found in the western portions of the North American continent, migratory in the Rocky Mountains and western Great Plains, and permanent residents in the more western states.

Habitat: P. maculatus is at home is dense brush and forest understory (including messy suburban yards) where a two-step fore-and-aft scratching in leaf litter is used to find its food. Winter food is primarily seeds and berries while breeding season's meal plan includes numerous types of invertebrates.

all photographs Copyright (C) Douglas Herr
last updated 24 February 2022